Count on it! (Day 3)

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good…       

 Genesis 1:31

 And the Lord God made all kind of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the Garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 

Genesis 2:9

 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not east from the tree of the knowledge of good and  evil…   

Genesis 2:16      

                                                                                         

These three verses provide the background for the encounter between Eve and the serpent recorded in Genesis 3. The gist of that meeting is this: The serpent approaches Eve and feigns disbelief that God has put a part of His creation off-limits to her and Adam. He then assures her that the results will not be as God has said; in fact, their life will be enhanced. Eve considers the appearance of situation and decides he is right. The rest, as they say, is history: the history of all mankind. 

If you have gotten this far with me, here is the take home: Everything God has created is good. His creation comes with instructions intended to be for our benefit. God’s “no” is just as good and beneficial for us as His “yes.” One of Satan’s most powerful lies is that God’s “yes” is good, but His “no” is bad, or at least to be ignored if a more appealing option presents itself. In other words, God is good and wise—up to a point.

Like Eve, our culture is prone to judge things by appearance and the immediate gratification factor. Many are so addicted to the pursuit of their best life now that they have taken the next step: little or no concern about the long-term consequences of their choices. Tomorrow I will share a story—a true story, sadly—of just how this is working out.

 Nancy Shirah