Genesis 5:22: “After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God for 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters.”

This verse is presented in Scripture as a highlight, an example for us, to tell us that this is aspirational. This is something that is good: walking with God.

For Scripture to single out the fact that Enoch walked with God should tell us that it is not the default. The default is for humans to walk in their own ways, to not walk in the way of the Lord, to pursue their own thing, pursue their own aims, prioritize their own things, and not walk with God.

So Enoch became an example. He became an eternal example of what is good, which means walking with God is a good thing. We see it with Abraham. God said, “Walk before Me and be blameless” (Genesis 17:1). Another person who was made an example in Scripture, when you look at the book of James, is Elijah. We are told that Elijah “was a human being like us, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain” (James 5:17). The Bible is presenting Elijah as a good example to follow.

So the challenge is for us also to be exemplars like this. Paul said, “I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single‑minded: forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, with this goal in mind I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13–14). So we have these examples in front of us. And the Bible says, “Imitate those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:12).

But my calling now is not for you to go and look for examples like this. My calling now is for you to be that example. Be the Enoch of our time who walked with God. Be the Elijah of our time. Be the Paul of our time who said, “I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle… But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me has not been in vain. In fact, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God with me” (1 Corinthians 15:9–10).

I want to charge you not to say, “Where are the Elijahs of our time?” No—do not say that. Do not say, “Where are the Enochs?” No—do not say that. You are the Enoch we want. Be that person.

Do not say, “The olden days were better than these” (see Ecclesiastes 7:10). Do not say that. You are supposed to carry the mantle of Enoch. Carry the mantle—you. Nobody is saying everybody must know your name. Nobody is saying you must make the news. That is not what we are saying. We are saying: be the exemplar. Be the Elijah we are looking for. Be the Enoch we are looking for. Be that person. We do not want to just have one Enoch in the text, standing out as this outstanding person. Be that person who walks with God.

Jesus Christ told Peter, “Feed My sheep” (John 21:17). And Peter said, “What about this man?”—referring to the disciple Jesus loved. Jesus Christ said, “If I want him to live until I come back, what concern is that of yours? You follow Me!” (John 21:21–22). He is calling Peter to a walk with Him. That is what I am talking about.

You look at Peter the fisherman (Luke 5:1–11). You look at Peter who denied Jesus three times (Matthew 26:69–75). You look at Peter who started walking on water and then began to sink (Matthew 14:28–31). Can we now say Peter became everything that Jesus Christ was calling him to follow Him and walk with Him for? I do not know. But I am saying: that is your calling too, to walk with God. That is your calling too.

And it is a moment‑by‑moment thing. It is an hour‑by‑hour thing. It is a day‑by‑day thing. That is your calling. That is what you are called to do.

Let me say it again: this verse was put in front of us to call our attention to something good. “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away” (Genesis 5:24). Our attention is being called—just as Moses’ attention was called to the burning bush. He said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight. Why does the bush not burn up?” (Exodus 3:3). So also this verse is calling our attention to something good.

So be the Enoch we are looking for. Do not look for the Enoch on the pulpit. We are looking for Enoch in you.

God bless you.