Jump Start # 2336

Genesis 3:1 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?”

Our verse today, yet another conversation that God allows us to drop in on, takes place in the garden of Eden. Paradise. The perfect world. Adam and Eve came into this world without a history, issues, baggage, family drama, in-law problems, or conflicts with siblings or co-workers. Their world was indeed perfect. They didn’t have to hear politicians ridiculing each other and trying to win your vote. They didn’t have to deal with bad weather, heavy traffic, high prices, or slow service. They didn’t even have kids, not yet. It was just Adam and Eve. I wonder what they talked about? Not the people at church, there was no church. Not the kids. Nothing to complain about. Nothing in their day was bad. Likely, they never felt bad, worried or dealt with pressure, deadlines or stress. There was no economy, so they didn’t have to be concerned about prices. They were naked, so they didn’t have to worry about what to wear or being tired of having to wear the same things over and over.

Their world seems so different than ours, and it was. It wasn’t ruined by sin. It was filled with broken promises, broken vows and broken hearts. No one lied to them. No one let them down. No one cheated them. They never heard curse words. There was no “bad shows” to avoid. No one was addicted to drugs, alcohol or sex.

This chapter introduces us to the serpent, Satan, and sin. There are several things here that we do not know. We don’t know how long after creation this took place. The next day? The next week? The next month? The next year? No one knows. We don’t know what the serpent looked like. Often, he is pictured as a snake wrapped around a tree. His punishment from God was to crawl. It’s rather hard to make a crawling snake crawl any more than he does. It is also interesting, of all the animals in the world, so many are afraid of snakes, including me. Don’t be telling me that there are good snakes. No. The only time “Good” and “snake” belong in the same sentence is when the snake is good and dead. I know some eat mice, but so do cats. We also do not know if the serpent was the only animal that could talk. Eve doesn’t seem to be too shocked to be talking to an animal. We don’t know what language Eve spoke in. And, we do not know what the forbidden fruit was. Whatever it was, it belonged in the garden and man was escorted out and we do not have access to it today.

In our verse, this conversation between the serpent and Eve, a question is asked. The serpent asks, “You cannot eat from any tree in the garden?” Let’s talk about that question.

First, the serpent, or really Satan, knew what God had told Adam and Eve. How was he aware we are not told. He must be listening in.

Second, this question, the first asked in the Bible, paints God as a cruel Master. He puts Adam and Eve in the garden with all these fruit trees but they can’t eat any of them. That’s not what God said, but that’s the image Satan wanted Eve to have. God’s really not the way you think He is. He’s not as good, nor as nice as you would want to believe. But his words were twisted. God had not said that. If that were the case, what was Adam and Eve supposed to eat?

Third, Eve’s reply shows that she understood God’s command. The following verse, Eve says, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of garden God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.” It wasn’t every tree that was off limits, just one.

Fourth, the serpent turns the conversation to the one tree that was off limits. This is where Eve missed it. This is where you and I miss it. Eve should have counted all the trees in the garden that she could have eaten from. God had supplied. God was good. God had blessed them. Count the trees in your garden!

Fifth, had Eve seen all that God had provided, she would have been content, thankful and feeling blessed. But now, she felt cheated. She felt neglected. She felt God was holding out on her. One tree was off limits, but all the other trees were good.

I’ve noticed through the years that Satan still likes to use this form of reasoning. He draws our attention to what is out of bounds, off limits, not authorized, not right and from that we forget about everything else.

We do this with worship. Rather than focusing upon the wonderful opportunity to praise and honor God, some only focus upon what’s not allowed. They stand around a forbidden tree and complain. They fail to see all the other trees in the garden. Facebook can be a great tool to connect with others and it can be the voice of Satan if we are not careful. I got a post the other day about someone making wild charges about the church and especially how abusive it is to women because they cannot preach. His statements were not supported by evidence. He said things that were not true. He had no Scriptural backing to his claims. It was simply a voice that would lead the unsuspecting and the untaught to run for the doors. What he failed to do most of all was count the trees in the garden.

We do this with morality. Can’t do this. Can’t do that. We paint a dark picture of boredom, dullness and slavery. This is how some see Christianity. What they want is forbidden fruit. They want to dress immodestly, drink themselves drunk, act immorally, have no responsibility, and laugh all the way to Heaven. That’s what they want. And, they stand around the one forbidden tree complaining about the church, the Bible and God. They want to look like a man but declare that they are a woman. They want to live together without marriage. They want God on speed dial when there is a crisis, but then they don’t want God interfering in their lives. What they fail to do is count the trees in the garden. Christians do have fun, lots of fun. Christians don’t need artificial things such as alcohol or drugs to make them feel good, nor to cope with life. There is a goodness with serving others, being honest and having something worthwhile to do in life other than being selfish.

We do this with our inner thoughts. Satan has us standing around the forbidden tree and all we think about is how terrible and miserable our lives our. Life is so hard, we tell our selves. Gloom and doom is played in the background of our minds. Fear, worry, stress fill our hearts. It’s so hard being a Christian, we are told. It’s so hard to be different. It’s so hard to be the light of the world. Gloom. Doom. Misery. Turn around. Look at all the trees in the garden. Take your eyes off the forbidden tree. Count your blessings. God has answered so many prayers for you. God has forgiven you so many times. God has been there for you.

Satan wants you to stand around looking at what you can’t have. God tells us to turn around and count the trees in the garden. Boy, that would have turned the conversation with Satan. He would have Eve looking at that one tree and how sad it is that God won’t let you have this, but she could have whirled around and counted all the other trees and said, “I don’t need that tree. Look at what I have! God’s been good to me!”

Wish we could do that more. Wish we could count the trees in the garden rather than gather around the one that is forbidden. You are not forsaken, neglected nor forgotten. God has been good to you. If you don’t believe it, just look around and count the trees in your garden!

Roger

Jump Start # 1836

Genesis 3:1 “Then the Lord God called to the man, and said, to him, “Where are you?”

Our verse today surrounds a simple three worded question, “Where are you?” It is the first question that God asked in the Bible. The question has a lot of background and much depth to it. The question takes place in the garden of Eden. There was just Adam, God and Eve. We can’t imagine that world. No one to instant message. Nothing to share with others on Facebook. Your list of friends included, either Adam or Eve and God. That’s it. No co-workers. No neighbors. No in-laws. No nutty cousins. More than that, no real history. No genealogy. No, “this is where you grew up.” No high school reunions. No grandparents. No, “you look like your mother.” No keeping up with the Jones. No one to compare the other with. Just Adam, God and Eve. If there was a mess, it’s pretty easy to figure out who made it—either Adam or Eve.

The text gives us the impression that there was a wonderful fellowship between mankind and God in the garden. The previous verse says that God walked in the garden in the cool of the day. God was on earth. God was walking on earth. Jesus, in the first century, wasn’t the first time God came to earth. One can only imagine what it would be like to walk with God in the morning. Can you see God stopping and pointing out a flower or a song bird and being delighted that Adam like them. You can see the smile on God’s face as He showed them different things that He created. “I made this just for you,” happily confesses God. Fellowship, togetherness, friendship—the picture we see here is what we long for and hope for in Heaven.

And in this grand and beautiful scene, something changed. Satan came. The Bible doesn’t tell us where he came from. Don’t waste volumes of paper and hours trying to chase down those ideas. He’s here. He’s been a liar from the beginning, that’s what Jesus said. It wasn’t that he once was good and then turned bad. From the beginning he has been wrong.

Eve is tempted. You won’t die. You’ll be like God. The fruit sure looked good. She took and ate. Adam ate. Immediately they had rebelled and violated the will of God. They knew that they were naked. They tasted guilt and shame for the first time. And for the first time, they hid. They didn’t want God to find them.

This is where our verse is found. It is here that God asks, “Where are you?” He was not asking about location. He knew where they were. He’s God. He knows all things. If He knows how many hairs are on our head and if He knows when a sparrow falls, He certainly knew where Adam was hiding.

Where are you—not asking for a location but a reason. Why are you hiding? You have never hid before. Why are you afraid of Me? What’s happened? What’s changed? God knew. God knew what they had done. Where are you is really asking, “Why?” Why are you hiding? Why did you do this? Rather than a location, God was asking for a confession. What did you do?

The first question God asks in the Bible—Where are you?

I expect that God could continue to ask that of us:

• Where are you when My people gather to worship? You weren’t there. Where are you? Again, God knows. What He wants to know is why? Why are you not with My people? Why are you not worshipping Me? What is so important that you can’t get to the church building? Too tired? What were you doing yesterday? Did you even think about the next day? Did worship ever enter your mind on Saturday? Why not? Had to work? Really? Have you tried to get around that? Had to travel? Really? No other flights? No other times you could go? Was on vacation? Are there no places to worship? Did you give that any thought? Where are you?

• Where are you in your relationship with Me? I never hear from you? You never think about Me? You never mention Me to others? You seem to be drifting. You seem obsessed with stuff. Your heart is a mess of worry and misery. Why don’t you walk with Me? Why don’t you spend some time with Me in My word? I can help you. I can give you a peace that you cannot find anywhere else. I can forgive you. I can lead you to quiet waters and green pastures. I wish you trusted Me more. I wish you really believed in Me. Where are you?

• Where are you when you are trying to figure things out? Disease, depression and death seem to follow you. It seems that you are so eager to try new things and to listen to the latest advice about things, yet you never seem to turn to Me? Your marriage is messy. Your kids are growing apart from Me. You seem so busy that you are missing the important things. Where are you? Why won’t you let me help you? Why won’t you let me guide your heart and your home? Why are you so determined to do things without Me? Why do you fight Me? Why do you listen to others more than Me?

• Where are you when it’s time for Me to call you home? Do you know what happens when you die? I’ve told you. Do you know who gets to spend forever with Me? I have showed you. Do you know why some will not be in Heaven? I’ve told you. Why do you listen and believe serpents when they have done nothing for you? Why do you trust the words of serpents more than My words? Why do you think that I have not been fair with you? Why do you think I have been against you? Where are you?

I fear that someday, some will be asking that very question to God. They will ask, “Where are you, Lord?” And there will be no answer, only silence. A life that is lived without God will lead to an eternity without God. And when we need God the most, He won’t be there, because we hid from Him.

Where are you? A serious question for Adam. A greater question of us. The first question still needs to be asked. Can we help you? Can we study the Bible together? Can we look to find answers to your questions? We welcome you to worship with us. We welcome you to know God. Don’t be afraid of Him. Don’t hide from Him.

He is looking for you. Won’t you come out, and come to Him?

Can we help?

Roger

Jump Start # 1177

NOTE TO READERS: Monday is a holiday and we will not have a Jump Start on that day.

Genesis 3:1 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?’”

Today we conclude our mini series on interesting expressions in our Bible. There are so many more that we could look at. After God stopped Abraham from attempting to sacrifice Isaac, the text says, “Now I know.” What a great statement. Jesus told the disciples, “Remember Lot’s wife.” Three words. Great thoughts there. Paul told his shipmates on the dangerous voyage to Rome, “It will turn out exactly as I have been told.” The virtuous woman is said to “Smile at the future.” The rich man in Luke 16, we are told, “And in hades he saw.” Paul told the Romans, “We are more than conquerors.” This is just a sampling of the mighty expressions found in our Bibles. These are the things we can mediate upon. These are the statements that give us great applications and further insights into God’s will.

Our thought today comes from the fall of mankind, the first sin—ever. It takes place in the garden. Satan, using the serpent, began a conversation with Eve. There are many curious questions about all of this. Eve doesn’t seem to be startled that she is talking to an animal. Could the other animals speak? We are not told how long after creation this took place. The next day, week, month, year? Don’t know. We don’t know what the serpent looked like. No clue. We don’t know what the forbidden fruit was. Obviously it would not be something available to us today. So guessing an apple is pretty much the wrong guess.

And he said to the woman—that’s the expression we want to look at today. And he said to the woman. Eve is talking to the serpent. Did she know who she was talking to? Did she realize Satan was behind all of this?

The conversation begins with a huge restriction. You can’t eat from any tree. That’s what God said? Why then did he put you in a garden of trees if you can’t eat from them. How will you live? It’s not fair to have these trees but you can’t eat from them. God’s not fair. God takes away all the fun. God is always saying NO. All of this was playing on Eve’s mind. The serpent was trying to discredit God. He was planting the idea that God is not as good as you think.

Eve had no history with the serpent. She was not created by the serpent. The serpent had not provided for her. The serpent was not good to her. She did, however have a relationship with God. God had been there. God walked with Adam in the cool of the garden. God made Eve. It is amazing how someone or something comes along and we throw out all that we know from trusted family and brethren for someone we barely know. An article floats around on the internet and immediately some jump on the band wagon and begin disbelieving all things they know about the Bible. The evidence, the trust, the goodness of God’s word is tossed because someone’s wild ideas, that have no support. Is this nothing more than talking to serpents?

Eve faced three conclusions from her conversation with a serpent.

1. She had to choose between what she knew was right and what she felt or wanted. She knew. God revealed. The words are simple and the message clear. God is always that way. Satan and serpents are always foggy. It’s unclear what they are saying or what they mean. Not God. Eve knew. She responded correctly to the serpent. That was good but still a mistake. The best thing she should have done was to walk. “I don’t talk to serpents,” would have been a powerful reply. The same would work for us today. Satan  had Eve confused. It was a matter of the head and the heart. The head knew. The heart wanted the opposite. Satan is good at that. It’s an internal battle. Not sure about God now, wanting what is forbidden, told that God doesn’t mean what He says, the foggy Eve was easy prey for Satan. We are the same. Head and heart. The head knows what the Bible says. Temptation rarely attacks the head. The head has facts, evidence, proof, logic, reason and mountains of counted blessings. The head knows. The heart is weak. It doesn’t think, it feels. It wants. It doesn’t see consequences. It doesn’t know about influences. It just feels. Without the head, we are toast. The heart wins every time when the head is not engaged. The heart is after happiness. The head is after holiness. Often, those are not the same. The head steers the vehicle. Head and heat. Satan had Eve confused. He still does that today with us.

2. Eve had to decide between the immediate and the eternal. This again is another way the head and heart are expressed. The immediate means it looks good. The immediate means I like it. The immediate means what’s so wrong with this? The immediate. The eternal is based  upon the head and faith. The head thinks. The head remembers. The head understands that what I do today affects my tomorrow. There are many applications of that. The heart sees junk food and wants to eat it right now, before dinner. The head remembers dinner is coming. The head doesn’t like the way the body is looking or feeling. The heart sees something in the store and wants to buy it right now. The head thinks about budgets, savings and planning for spending. Head and heart—they are a constant battle. Here, the heart is blind. It can’t see very far into the future. The affair, the drink, the shoplifting, the gossip, the lie—all those things are not driven by the head, but the heart. They are immediate. They are not calculated. Little thought is given to consequences which always follow every decision we make. What we do today can affect our eternity. Had Eve gotten that, she would have walked away.

3. Eve had to live with her choices. That’s the bottom line for all of us. We make choices. We listen to serpents. We talk to Satan. We have a head and heart battle within us and finally there is a choice. For Eve, it meant sin. For Eve, she had to leave Paradise. For Eve, it introduced pain and death to the world. It didn’t matter that she did this one time. It didn’t matter that later she was sorry. It didn’t matter that she would do differently the next time. The choice was made. She was tricked by a serpent. She had to live with the choice she made.

All of this began when she started talking to serpents. Don’t you expect that’s where many of our troubles come from. We listen to serpents more than we listen to God. We allow others to plant doubt in us. We are fogged in and fooled by the voice of others.

Talking to serpents…that’s where it all started.

Roger

Jump Start # 570

Genesis 3:1  “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

We continue our look at Adam, Eve and the garden  of Eden this week. Our verse today leads us to the choice Adam and Eve had to make about trusting and obeying God. We call this the fall of man, because they made the wrong choice and sinned. They fell. Sin is described as “falling short of the grace of God” in Romans. There are several lessons worth looking at here.

First, we are not given all the details that our curiosity would like to know. For instance, how long after creation did this happen? Next day? Next week? Next month? We don’t know. Guessing is just that, and we don’t want to build a theology, faith, or manufacture facts that are based upon guesses. Also, was the serpent the only animal that could talk? Eve doesn’t seem shocked that she is having a conversation with an animal. If our pets started talking to us, most of us would leave the house. We don’t know what the serpent looked like. Most pictures show a snake wrapped around the tree. The serpent’s punishment was to crawl. Could it be that there were no snakes in the garden? That definitely would be paradise for me! I’ve heard people talking about “good snakes.” To me, the word “good” and “snake” do not belong in the same sentence. It’s amazing that of all the animals in the world, the snake is one that most people do not like. Was this a lizard like creature that lost it’s legs and became snake like? Guessing again. What about the forbidden fruit? An apple? One of my kids had a college professor who was adamant that the forbidden fruit was a Granny Smith apple. That made us all laugh when we heard that. How could it be called “Granny Smith” if this all took place hundreds of years before “Granny Smith” was born? Most likely, it is not a fruit we have today. The forbidden fruit came from one tree that was in the garden. Access was denied to the garden after the first couple sinned.  Don’t fear eating an apple today, it’s not the forbidden fruit

Now, some lessons from this.

• Sin doesn’t have to appear ugly to be ugly. Verse six says that Eve looked at the forbidden fruit and it was a delight to her eyes. I expect if the fruit was an overripe banana, that was brown and mush, she would have turned away. It wasn’t like that. It looked amazing. Sometimes, preachers, myself included, talk so much about the consequences of sin that we leave the impression that sin is not desirable to the eyes. That’s false. It is. Sin looks good. That’s the attraction. That’s the tug on our hearts to do what we know is wrong. Young people need to grasp this concept. Fornication, alcohol, drugs, stealing all have an appeal to them. There’s something about them that attracts our eyes and pulls on our hearts. John wrote in this first epistle that there is a “lust of the eyes, a lust of the flesh, and a boastful pride of life”  – that’s how sin operates.

• Satan loves to remind us about what we are missing in life. He did that with Eve. The conversation between Satan and Eve revolved around which tree you could not have. Instead of counting your blessings and realizing that she could eat the fruit from all the trees except one, it was that one tree that Satan focused upon. Satan does that. He wants you to think that God is restrictive. God doesn’t like you. Look what He’s done, He won’t let you have that one tree. That works on the mind. That crosses our thinking. We find ourselves agreeing with Satan, which is always scary. We focus upon what we don’t have instead of what we do have. We forget that God knows what is best. We forget to trust God. We start to think that we know better than God. Always dangerous.

• You will notice also, that Satan didn’t take a piece of the forbidden fruit and sneak it in Eve’s salad. He didn’t force her or even make her take the fruit. He got her mind twisted and she chose. Satan plays a contributing factor in all of this, but the bottom line, Eve chose to eat that fruit. Eve was responsible. The same goes us for. Satan dangles that beautiful carrot before our eyes, he plays with our minds, confuses us and we grab that carrot without thinking much about other things. All we can see is that forbidden fruit. It’s our choice. Don’t blame parents. Don’t point fingers to the church. Don’t say, “I was tired,” or “I was lonely,” – doesn’t matter. We choose.

• Verse six also says “she took from it’s fruit and ate.” Nothing is said about lightning flashing after that or a loud clap of thunder. She took, she ate. She enjoyed. She then gave some to Adam and he ate. It reads almost as Satan had said to her. “See, you didn’t die. See, it wasn’t so bad. See, I know what I’m talking about. See, God didn’t do anything. See, you can trust me.” Oh, how dangerous that is. Every time I read this chapter, I want to scream, “Run, Eve.” But she doesn’t. She has a conversation with Satan. He lies. He always does. Don’t talk with him. He’s the enemy. He can’t be trusted. He can’t be turned. He can’t be saved. Don’t talk…run.
• Satan didn’t look like Satan—he appeared as a serpent. Much later in your Bible, Peter would say something to Jesus that just wasn’t right. In fact, Peter rebuked Jesus for talking about his coming death. The Lord responded, “Get behind me, Satan.” Was Satan actually in Peter? Probably not like the serpent, yet he was using Peter. Satan will do that. He will use friends, co-workers, neighbors, brethren, TV, movies, music or anything else that is available to twist, turn and crisscross our thinking so we take what is forbidden.

This shows just how wicked and evil Satan is. Learn to recognize his voice. It speaks to us through commercials, movies, music and other avenues. It’s always telling us that we need to have what is forbidden. The forbidden is where it’s at. The forbidden is good. The forbidden is incredible. He tells you that you’ll love it, and that’s probably the only true thing he says. You will. He fails to tell you that it comes with a price, your soul. He fails to tell you about the consequences or how addicting and controlling sin can become. He fails to tell you that it will change you. He fails to tell you that it will hurt every good relationship you have. Sin does that. If it’s on God’s forbidden list, it’s there for a reason. He knows what’s best. He determined, not Satan, what’s forbidden and what’s acceptable. God knows. God is good. He is good to you.

We will continue with more thoughts tomorrow.

Roger

Jump Start # 569

Genesis 3:1 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

This week our Jump Starts are going to focus upon Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden. There are many valuable lessons there for us and I hope that these will remind us, teach us, encourage us, and help us in our relationships at home, and our relationship with the Lord.

Let us begin with Adam. What God says and what we’ve learned from school, museums and the Discovery Channel don’t always fit together. Adam was the first man. Paul said that in 1 Corinthians 15. He was made at the “beginning.” Genesis confirms that, and Jesus believed that. This first person was intelligent. He was given the task of naming the animals. He communicated with God and his wife Eve. We get a different concept when we look away from the Bible. Evolution has convinced many that there was a series of ape-like humans that in time looked less like a monkey and more like a human. The common thought is that these “early men” grunted, had very primitive form of language and intelligence. Cave men is what most think of when the idea of early man is discussed.

After the first sin, Adam and Eve were clothed. There wasn’t generations of hairy, naked, ape-like creatures, not if the Bible is true. We must be able to stand with God and realize that so much of the early man concepts are theories that support godless evolution.

Adam and Eve began in the garden of Eden. They were created by the perfect God. Everything God made was good, right and functional. Adam and Eve were created mature, smart and with the capabilities to live well in the garden. Adam was to cultivate the garden and care for it. That took some knowledge of plants, horticulture, and agriculture.  Adam was no dummy.

It is interesting that God uses several words in His communication with Adam that he had never experienced. He must have had an understanding of these words, but how different they must have been for Adam than they are us.

• God told Adam to leave his father and mother. Adam didn’t have a father or a mother in the way that we do. He was the first. How would he have understood that? All of us have a mother—good, or bad. Adam didn’t.

• God told Adam to cleave to his wife. That was Eve. We understand marriage. We’ve been to weddings. Many of us are married. Adam’s concept of marriage was based upon what God told him, not on experience, observation or books.

It is interesting that God gave Adam one choice, Eve. He didn’t date. He didn’t date and break up and then found someone else. There was no comparing Eve to anyone else. Eve didn’t have to worry about the neighbor’s wife, be in competition with the super models, or contend with past romances of Adam. God presented her to Adam. That was the one. That was the only one. Adam and Eve didn’t come with a past, baggage or sins, as we bring into relationships. It was all fresh, new and original.

• God warned Adam and Eve that if they ate the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden they would die. Death. We see it all the time. Our loved ones die. Our pets die. We drive and see road kill. This is part of our world. The news tells of violence overseas in which people were killed. There are storms that kill. There are accidents which kill.

For Adam, death, like marriage, like parents, was an intellectual understanding, not one from witnessing nor experience. Genesis one ends by telling us that all living creatures ate plants. This included the beast of the fields. This included Adam and Eve. Originally, everything ate plants. Animals did not kill each other for food. Man didn’t kill animals to eat. Not originally. The change happens after the flood, in Genesis nine. This means, until the sin, nothing ever died. Death was a concept and not something Adam saw.

A side point, this means that the dinosaurs did not die out before man came along, not if the Bible is true.

God placed Adam in a perfect world. Adam’s world was the best it could be. It was not marred with crime, pollution, nasty attitudes, prejudice, hatred or, atheism. The perfect world involved God. The perfect world had rules. The perfect world had consequences if those rules were broken. In this perfect world, God gave the first man the ability to choose. He had a free will. He was pre programmed. He was on a destination that was beyond his control. He was given a mind, a will and a God. The first man had to believe and trust God. It was in this perfect world that we find Satan, tempting, twisting and tormenting the mind of the first couple. Man had to choose between God, who they knew, or Satan who they had no history with. Who had been good to them? Who had helped them? Who made them? The answer seems obvious to us, yet, it remains the same for us. Satan continues to twist, tempt and torment our hearts between what we know of God and what Satan offers.

More will come about Satan and the first couple.

I find it interesting that God didn’t start with a community, only one man and one woman. There was no facebook to communicate with others, only each other and God. I wonder how many of us today would survive like that. Many rarely talk with their mates but communicate with others all the time. There may be some lessons for us in this. Would we have survived like that? Do we spend more time talking to others than our mates? Do we share our personal lives and feelings with others more than we do our mates? Maybe we ought to talk a walk with our spouse and find out what is going on in their world and heart and mind. This may lead to a closeness that is missing and head off an affair which most often starts between two people who find a connection in being able to talk to each other. They find something in others that is missing at home. They share stories, empathy, and hearts. Before long, they share a bed. Adam had only Eve and God to talk to. Eve had only Adam and God to talk to. That arrangement may have made prayers more alive, more detailed, and more specific. There was no one else to talk to.  Bland prayers and prayers that say the same thing each time may come from hearts that don’t know how to talk to God and hearts that don’t have much to stay to God. Could it be that we’ve become “talked out” with God because we’ve talked to everyone and anyone other than God.

Adam and Eve had only each other and God. So often, we have just the opposite. We have the world, but avoid  each other and God. Maybe something we ought to chew on for a while.

Roger