Devotions for Disciples

There was no sin in the world that day. It was another beautiful morning when Adam and Eve woke up and took a walk in the Garden of Eden. As they walked, they came to the center of the garden where God had placed a certain tree. It was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil – the one tree that He had made off-limits to His favorite creation. For some reason on this day filled with the unbelievable beauty of creation and the unimaginable glory of God, they lingered before the tree. 

This month has brought news of horrific tragedies and heartbreak to many people. There are those who have celebrated birthdays and anniversaries. Some have been reminded of loved ones who left us way too soon. Others have received news that has shaken their hearts in ways they never thought possible. House fires have destroyed everything that families owned. Husbands and wives have walked away from each other, leaving a field of emotional debris.

We will never know how many days, weeks, months, or years the creation was perfect and without sin. We have no idea how long Adam and Eve stood before the tree or how long Eve conversed with the evil one before reaching out and touching the forbidden. Had they known that their rebellion would have caused so much tragedy, would they have fled the location? Would they have run away, or for that single moment of selfish ambition, would they still have touched, taken, and tasted the forbidden? If they had known that sin crouched at the door of their family, waiting for their sons to grow up, would they have stomped the head of the serpent at that very instant? Had they known everything would be destroyed by a flood in order to wash away the dirt and filth of sin, would they have called out to the Father instead of engaging in a conversation with the devil himself? If they had truly known the God of Glory who walked with them in the cool of each evening would one day send His Son into this sin-ravaged world, that He would ask His Beloved to go through torture and to die to save us from what started out in perfection and ended in pain because they sought what was forbidden, would they have stayed? I have no idea what Adam and Eve would have done, but I do know that one action brought sin into perfection, and that sin brought disease, hurt, brokenness and death into our world. We will never know the answers to a hundred “why” questions, but here is what we do know.

The Father is love. He is not playing games with our lives or emotions. We know the God that called the world into being still calls us by name. We know the Father that parted the Red Sea still makes a way even when darkness and hurt crushes our hearts. We know that the God that led the children of Israel with a cloud by day and a fire by night still measures our steps. We know the God that created a place of worship still desires our presence. We know that the God that defeated giants with a stone still fights for us. We know that the God who destroyed enemies is still fighting enemies today. We know that the God who sent His son to die for our sins still restores and forgives today. We know our God is alive even when answers are not what we wanted, when terror strikes our hearts, and when tears flow unchecked. We know that our tears are before Him, and while that does not erase the pain and it does not fill the pantry, we know that we know the love of God. 

The question really isn’t about what Adam and Eve knew or did in the garden. The question is what will we do when confronted with hurting people and ministry opportunities? Sadly, we often find ourselves standing before our tree of greed and self-centeredness or our tree of laziness and indifference. We find ourselves asking, “Haven’t we done enough? Can’t someone else complete the task?” I have been part of a conversation recently that actually relayed the sentiment, “Enough is enough!” Then I heard about another conversation that stated, “Jesus never said, ‘I have healed and fed enough people. Let someone else have a turn.’” I was moved to my core by the second conversation and heart-broken by the first, but truthfully, I am often guilty of the first. We all are. As each of us stand before our own trees and question how we should and how we will respond to the forbidden, will we snatch the fruit of our self-righteous acts and call it a day, or will we run to the Father and beg Him to make us worthy of one more act of service in His name?