When we read the story of creation, we can clearly see how man was created for a blessed and intimate relationship with God. Man was made in the image of God Genesis 1:27 and given life with God's own breath Genesis 2:7. God intended man to live under His blessing and in dominion over creation.
Being in a perfect relationship with God meant there were guidelines for living; "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" Genesis 2:16-17.
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Can you imagine the heartache when that relationship was shattered by sin? "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it" Genesis 3:6. In this one act of disobedience, Adam and Eve said, "We do not believe!" For at the core of every sinful action is a heart which does not believe enough to trust that what God says is absolutely true. And the results are devastating!
We completely miss what happened in the garden if our picture of God is that of a bearded man on a throne with a judgment calculator who says from a distance, "They didn't follow the rules, send them away." That is not the God of the Bible! God gave life, sustenance, blessings, direction, and fellowship; and yet, the receiver of His gifts trusted and followed a lie. The consequences of the first sin must have broken God's heart.
Our Father still longs for His children to believe and return home. We've been away far too long and He desires for us to come back into His loving arms. And if we would take time for an honest examination, we would find a painful longing that wants only to return and be held close.
Let's not wait another moment. Let's begin right now to walk with a consistent belief and end the pain of separation.
- adapted from steve troxel
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