Innocence

Genesis 2:15-17

15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 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.

God never changes. What He has willed for our lives is the same today as it was 6,000 years ago. His first command was that we tend to the Garden.

The Garden is still here. It has been over-run with thorns and thistles, and has turned to rocky mountain paths and dry deserts, and sometimes flooded valleys; but the command is the same today as it was on that day.

God also gave us a warning to remain innocent. As long as we followed His command not to know, ignorance is bliss and faith abounds.

I know people who don't want to know if something bad has happened. It's like the old figurines of the three monkeys: "See no evil", "Hear no evil", "Speak no evil". They believe that if you don't see it, hear it or speak it, it isn't there.

We know that is not true; but, knowing that makes us less than innocent bystanders.

As children, we are considered innocent until we know the difference between right and wrong. As long as we don't know the difference, our actions and reactions can be easily excused and forgiven. However, once we KNOW the difference, sin become willful and dangerous.

This is what God did not want for us. He wanted us to remain innocent. Innocence brings joy to everyone -- except Satan. For some reason, Satan is jealous of the innocent. I assume is it because the joy they bring to the table of God, Satan cannot do.

Today, we know the difference. We are no longer "innocent". Only the blood of Jesus can redeem us, and we must acknowledge and accept that sacrifice every moment of our lives in order to be called by His Name.

The Original Promised Land

Genesis 2:10-14

And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
11The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
12And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
13And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.
14And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

No one knows exactly where the Garden of Eden was located. But, we can assume is was somewhere near Israel.

I doubt God would call it "the promised land" if that is not where the Garden was originally intended to be.

We can also assume that the Garden was a whole lot bigger than Israel itself, covering Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Today, much of that land is desert. It was not always so. One day, it will bloom again. It has already started in Israel.

God will make the desert bloom in our own lives, leading us to the promised land of abundance and hope, if we only follow His laws and be obedient.

The Garden

Genesis 2:8-9

8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

God gave us the world in which we live.

He put us here, where there is every kind of sustenance. And, He put us near the tree of life, where we have access to a life of abundance and joy, if we choose to take it.

He also provided the tree of knowledge of good and evil. (We will get into that later).

God wants us to have everything that we need to survive and thrive. It is up to us to use what God has given us wisely.

The garden of life, today, is filled with thorns and thistles, but all of the good things that God placed in it are still there, if we only look for them and cherish them.

Breath of Life

Genesis 2:7

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

God formed us from the dust of the ground.

When we were kids, we played in the mud; but, no matter what we did, we were never able to make those clay figurines come to life. Only God can do that.

We breathe oxygen. Without it, we will die.

But, oxygen is not "the breath of life" from God. It is not what brought us to life, initially.

There was oxygen in the air before we were "alive". There was oxygen in the air when we created those clay figurines as kids.

Something else had to happen to get us here.

Much like oxygen, without God, we will all eventually die.

God wills us to live. He urges us to follow His laws, in order to prevent eternal separation from Him. To be separated from God is death. Sin separates us from God.

God sent Jesus that we might have life.

Consider the Lilies

Genesis 2:4-6

4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

God created the earth, and all that is on the earth.

Before God created man, He provided for the creation that He created. God does not need man to care for His creation.

God does not need us. He CHOSE us. That should make us feel special and wanted.

And, as Jesus said,

Matthew 6:25-36

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

God took care of His creation then, and He will take care of it now.

God never changes.

So, if you are feeling anxious today, God is with you. There is nothing to be anxious about. God will provide. Trust Him. Let God be God in your life.

A Day of Rest

Genesis 2:1-3

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

On the seventh day, God rested. He blessed the seventh day. He set it aside, sanctified it.

God made the seventh day special, because it signified a day that He could step back and enjoy all that He had created.

The seventh day represents finality. He was finished. All the work that He had done during the first six days was done. There was no more to do.

God made the seventh day Holy.

He commanded that we observe the seventh day as He had.

We are to set aside all of our work during the week before and stop and smell the roses. We are to enjoy all He has given us.

One day, all of our work will be done here on earth, and we will enter into His eternal rest, where our praises and our joy will be eternal.

It is that Sabbath that we are working toward.

In the meantime, let us enjoy each Sabbath as a remembrance and day of thanksgiving and reflection; and, a hope for the future.

Heaven on Earth

Genesis 1:24-31

24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

On the sixth day, God was especially busy, setting the example that we should always be prepared for a day of rest, when no work can be done.

He gave mankind, us, the power to subdue and rule over every creature on the face of the earth.

The animals and the trees are ours to tame and to use to our advantage and for our food and our comfort.

There is nothing that God left out to satisfy and interest the heart of man.

He gave us the command to be fruitful, to multiply and to take over the earth that He created.

It was to be our home for eternity. There was no death or sickness, as long as we lived in the Will of the Father.

Today, we struggle to stay with-in the perimeters of our God; but, it is a fight worth having.

Where, before it was easy, now our sin nature gets in the way and sometimes we fail to enjoy all God has offered us.

Discontent with what we have is our greatest sin.

Paul said, in the New Testament,

Philippians 4:11-13

11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

We must look toward Jesus for our strength and contentment, that we may enjoy God's Creation and realize that we have heaven here on earth if we want it!

Wings and Swimmers

Genesis 1:20-23

20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

God gave all of us different talents. He made us in so many different ways that no two of us are alike! And, He did this for a purpose.

Some of us fly, that we may reach those who are lofty and higher standing in the community, while others of us swim, while we may reach those on the verge of drowning.

We all have different assignments in the Will of God while here on this earth. Our ultimate goal is to Glorify God with our talents and abilities. In order to do that, we must follow His commands so that all of us can work in unity and one-ness with Him!

Be the Light

Genesis 1:14-19

14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Throughout our lives, God sends lights to guide us. They come in many form: our parents, our teachers, our counsellors, our pastors...even our friends, or just some stranger along your way who made a difference.

These lights determine the path that lies before you, should you choose to listen to them, or follow their lead.

There is no light that shines brighter than those who have the son shining in them, the light of Jesus!

Matthew 5:19

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Jesus commanded that we should be the light that shines His face before the world, that others can follow us into His saving grace!

If you want change, BE the change. Don't just go to church: BE the church!

Father of Creation

Genesis 1:9-13

9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

Each Day brings God's new creations in my life. Each day, God guides me into new things, with new assignments, new beginnings, new hopes. And, each day is a chance for growth.

All that I do for Jesus has a chance for growth, for harvest, or for casting aside.

He divides the good from the bad, the productive from the unproductive, and He pushes us from hopelessness to hopefulness.

He gives us hands and feet to use in His service, and a brain in which to use them wisely.

He gives us ears to hear His calling, and His warnings.

He gives us a heart to feel His love, that we can love and be the face of Jesus toward others.

Each day there is newness in His creation.