Perfect Life
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day. -- Genesis 1:31
We've heard the story before right? In the beginning, God spoke everything into being. And it was good. The world was perfect. There was no sin. No pain. Better yet, there was perfect relationship with God. Adam had it made and the future was looking bright!
Happily Married
So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man." -- Genesis 2:21-23
Life got even better for Adam. Perfect relationship with God, perfect place to live, perfect job, and now God gives him a perfect wife. What's cool is that Adam's speech in the Hebrew rhymes and is written as a poem. So when Adam first met Eve, he was so wowed that he burst into song. They were naked and unashamed together and life was great.
A Tempting Offer
"For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." -- Genesis 3:5
Then the devil shows up. He tempts Eve with the one thing that God has forbidden. As temptation and sin often do, Eve is tricked into thinking that the things God was saying "No" to were the things that would give her what she was really looking for. God said no to that fruit, so that fruit must be awesome! That's what I want! She buys the devil's lies and her husband follows with her. They eat the fruit.
Blame Game
The man said, "The woman you put here with me--she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it. Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." -- Genesis 3:12-13
God knows the answer to all the questions you could ever ask, but he asks Adam to explain. What does Adam do? He blames Eve. But not just Eve, He also blames God. He doesn't just say, "It was the woman," but he also says, "Where did that woman come from again? Oh yeah, You gave her to me!" Instead of owning up to what he did, Adam points the finger at everyone else. For his own sin, he turns on his beautiful wife who he used to sing about. Instead of confessing his mistake, He turns on the perfect God who has done nothing but bless him. And Eve does the same. When God looks to her, she points her finger at the devil. What was her excuse? "The devil made me do it!"
Curse and Promise
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." -- Genesis 3:15
From that moment onward, everything changed. Adam and Eve brought sin into humanity. Since then, we have all been separated from God. Since then, we all experience pain and death. Since then, we have lived in a broken and frustrating world. And lets not fall into the blame game as they did, I bet if I was in Adam's shoes I would have done the same thing. Distrust, guilt, hardship, toil, and so much more entered the world that day.
But that wasn't the only thing. Sin wrecked everything, but God had a plan to fix it all. All the way in the beginning, God promised Adam and Eve that one day a woman would have a Son. And that Boy would be special. He would grow up to crush the devil and all of the things that sin has brought into this world. That Boy would suffer. The devil would injure Him. But the Son would triumph and return things to the way they once were.
Thoughts for Us
Its not just a story. It really happened. And it happens over and over in our lives too. I can't count how many times I have ruined a good thing with sin. God says don't and I know its wrong, but something about it seems like it will give me what I want. The lie will get me out of trouble. The laziness will be so enjoyable. The angry comment serves them right and will make me feel good about myself. I fall for it all the time and the sin ruins everything. Sometimes its not right away, but the consequences catch up with me and I wish I had never done it. But instead of blaming myself, I make excuses and pin it on other people. Well, I only lied because I was afraid that you would be judgmental and unforgiving. I was a little lazy, but you drive me a little crazy and I need to unwind. I shouldn't have said that, but you egged me on.
Isn't that you too? Sin looks better than obedience. You disobey. But then you regret the way it worked out. So you blame the people closest to you. We are like our father Adam and our mother Eve. And we need to learn the lesson from them. Disobedience and Blame don't work. When we are tempted, we need to remember that God knows what is best for us and He isn't holding anything good back. And when we sin, we need to confess right away and own up to our mistakes. Blame only ruins things further.
And most importantly, we need to trust in the Son who was sent to defeat Satan, sin, and death. Jesus was the Savior God promised way back in Genesis. And He alone can put our sin to death and give us new lives.
- What's been tempting you lately? What is the lie of sin and what is the truth of obedience?
- Who have you been blaming for your problems? How can you apologize to them and own up to it?
- Have you trusted Jesus as your Savior to free you from the mess of sin? If you want to, go ahead right now and let me or your Pastor know. We'd love to help you start your walk with God!
- Thank God that from the very beginning, He had a plan to save us from ourselves!
No comments:
Post a Comment