The implications of partaking of the fruit of the Tree of knowledge of good and evil had not really dawned in either Adam or Eve, though God commanded them saying:
"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Gen 2:17
The instruction was clear but the outcome was not. We so often sin, not really knowing the outcome of our disobedience. What one needs to understand is that by sinning one gives chance for satan to attack as the word says:
"...and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him."Eccl 10:8
The verse is explicit when it says that the serpent shall bite him if he breaks the hedge. The hedge here I believe to be the hedge put by God through His laws. We see that in the Book of Job, satan says that he cannot attack Job because God has hedged him in Job 1:10. He asks God to remove the hedge and Job will curse God. God has given us commands to keep us safe just as a father tells his children forseeing the outcome of a particular situation. Though the child fails to understand the reasons for the warnings, it does not become an excuse for getting hurt after disobeying the warning. It is therefore of utmost importance to know the word of God in order to make the right choices in life. It is for this reason that the psalmist says:
"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."Psa 119:11
Sinning gives satan the legal right to attack you, the Bible therefore says:
"Neither give place to the devil." Some translations render the verse as "nor give opportunity to the devil."Eph 4:27
Clearly we give him a reason to attack. Today we stand after blunderring so often only becasue His grace abounds toward us and not for any other reason. Let's not take it for granted.
Some of our desicions have long term efftects far beyond our realm of understanding. Adam's sin brought the whole world under the curse of sin and death. Had he known, he would have rejected the fruit. I would like to point out one instance of obedience that brought about a blessing. Abraham when he met King Melchizedek of Salem, he gave a tithe of all his plunder. This act was accounted to him to righteousness, Hallelujah. The further implication to this was that Levi, his great, great grandson was also considered by God to have tithed through Abraham:
"And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchizedek met him." Heb 7:9-10
If Levi reaped from Abraham's obedience, which was three generations before his birth, how much more can we bless our future generation from our obedience today! Hallelujah.Let us therefore, seek God that we not go wrong.Amen
Monday, June 29, 2009
Decisions we make
Every decision we make now decides the course of our lives in the future. So, it is of the utmost importance that one make wise decisions. Every decision has it's pros and cons. If everyone knew the outcome of every decision life would have been so much easier. There would be no fear of going wrong. Unfortunately, for us we can never really know what might happen until we begin to see the results firsthand. Adam was asked by God to do only two things basically...(1) to tend and keep the Garden (2) to eat of every fruit in the Garden except the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Think over it, all he had to do was to tend and keep the Garden...no deadlines to meet, no targets to achieve, no body to push you around etc... Man is now becoming Eco-friendly or ecologically minded caring for his environment with great gusto. If man had kept in line with what God had told him, there would not have been problems today. Man took the wrong decision. He disobeyed by eating of the one, the one and only tree that God told him not to eat from. Talk about, biting off more than you can chew! This was one bite he never forgot and would regret for the rest of his life and the lives of those who would follow.
People often ask why did God put such a tree in the Garden in the first place if He knew the evil it would bring? This is a simple question, actually from a simple mind! reason being that people often rather blame someone else for their problems. The question that really needs to be asked is why am I in the situation I am in? The question is actually trying to put the blame on God, saying that He is unjust, unfair, uncaring and is without consideration for the weakness of man. Nothing could be further from the truth. God commanded him not to eat of this Tree, and it was Adam's total lack of judgment and discernment that led to his fall. Adam did not fall because of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, rather he fell because he chose to eat it's fruit! He took a wrong decision and he blamed God by telling God that the...
"The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." Gen 3:12
When God made man He made him giving him free will, thereby giving man the freedom to choose. Traffic rules are meant to be followed for our own safety. It has been put in place by the authorities to ensure smooth and safe traffic movements. I can chose to drive rashly or not. Rash driving is a willful decision made by the driver knowing well that it can bring harm to him, to those in the vehicle with him and also those outside. An accident resulting from rash driving is the sole responsibility of the driver. It is pointless blaming the traffic rules, automobile manufacturer etc. Likewise, it is pointless to ask why God put this Tree in the Garden.
To me God made Two prominent trees in the Garden of Eden, one was the Tree of Life and the other being the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil. The Tree of Life was an even more important Tree than the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil. Eating it's fruit gave man immortality Gen 3:22. Both Trees to me indicate the pros and cons of our decisions to obey God or not.
"See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil.." Deu 30:15
God has given us laws for our good and not for our harm. So, I encourage all to seek His counsel before making every decision. He knows better the outcome and we ever will.
God Bless.
Think over it, all he had to do was to tend and keep the Garden...no deadlines to meet, no targets to achieve, no body to push you around etc... Man is now becoming Eco-friendly or ecologically minded caring for his environment with great gusto. If man had kept in line with what God had told him, there would not have been problems today. Man took the wrong decision. He disobeyed by eating of the one, the one and only tree that God told him not to eat from. Talk about, biting off more than you can chew! This was one bite he never forgot and would regret for the rest of his life and the lives of those who would follow.
People often ask why did God put such a tree in the Garden in the first place if He knew the evil it would bring? This is a simple question, actually from a simple mind! reason being that people often rather blame someone else for their problems. The question that really needs to be asked is why am I in the situation I am in? The question is actually trying to put the blame on God, saying that He is unjust, unfair, uncaring and is without consideration for the weakness of man. Nothing could be further from the truth. God commanded him not to eat of this Tree, and it was Adam's total lack of judgment and discernment that led to his fall. Adam did not fall because of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, rather he fell because he chose to eat it's fruit! He took a wrong decision and he blamed God by telling God that the...
"The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." Gen 3:12
When God made man He made him giving him free will, thereby giving man the freedom to choose. Traffic rules are meant to be followed for our own safety. It has been put in place by the authorities to ensure smooth and safe traffic movements. I can chose to drive rashly or not. Rash driving is a willful decision made by the driver knowing well that it can bring harm to him, to those in the vehicle with him and also those outside. An accident resulting from rash driving is the sole responsibility of the driver. It is pointless blaming the traffic rules, automobile manufacturer etc. Likewise, it is pointless to ask why God put this Tree in the Garden.
To me God made Two prominent trees in the Garden of Eden, one was the Tree of Life and the other being the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil. The Tree of Life was an even more important Tree than the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil. Eating it's fruit gave man immortality Gen 3:22. Both Trees to me indicate the pros and cons of our decisions to obey God or not.
"See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil.." Deu 30:15
God has given us laws for our good and not for our harm. So, I encourage all to seek His counsel before making every decision. He knows better the outcome and we ever will.
God Bless.
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