Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Consequences of Disobedience
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)
When God created the world He saw everything was very good. There was no evil at the time of creation, but by the time of Genesis chapter three we find that Satan in the form of a serpent was tempting Eve to sin.
Influence of Evil: In ancient days, the snake was marked as a symbol of evil and disobedience. The serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures and asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?” Through the conversation the woman was convinced. She looked at the tree and found the tree to be beautiful; the fruit looked so fresh and delicious. She thought it would make her so wise, so she ate the fruit and gave some to Adam, who was with her. He ate it as well. The eyes of both of Adam and Eve were opened, and they knew they were naked. From that moment, they lost the glory of God. They were in a place where they were not supposed to be; with the wrong person at the wrong time. They took advice from the wrong channel. They forgot the word of God; instead, they concentrated on the attractive tree and its fruit. This brought them shame and regret. They had to hide from God’s presence and damaged the relationship they had with God.
The Power and Faithfulness of God: That evening God was visiting Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God called Adam, with authority, “where are you?” Of course, they were afraid and answered, “We are hiding from you because we are naked”. After knowing what had happened between them and the Serpent, God became very angry and cursed them at the same time. He sent them out of the Garden of Eden. When God says no to us, He certainly has a purpose for it. Trust in Him; He knows what is best for us. Have confidence in His word. Satan can take advantage of us if we are ignorant of his devices.
God is always faithful to His creation. He created man to have communion with Him and to worship Him always. When that relationship was damaged, He found the cross as the bridge to relinquish human beings of their sins. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life”(John 3:16)
Prayer: O gracious Lord, give us the power of your Holy Spirit to resist evil forces and bring glory to Your Name through our lives. Amen
Mariamma Mathew, LIMTC, NY