Loved and Protected

When God created the earth He planned to fill it with all the beautiful things in His mind. But it was incomplete until He created man. A pretty globe with movement and water and color was simply not enough for God. He longed for companionship. So He created man. And because Adam was alone and lonely God made him a companion in Eve.

And God loved them and longed to spend time walking and talking together in the garden, which they did every evening. He already knew what they thought and felt, but He wanted to hear them say it, because that’s what intimacy is all about.

Then He gave them work to do and made them fruitful in the garden. He also gave them choices, which always amazes me. Especially when He knew exactly the kinds of choices they (and we) would make. But He did it anyway. He told them they could eat of every other tree in the garden but they were not to eat of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Eve listened to the voice of the serpent (Satan) who said they could be as wise as God if they would only eat the forbidden fruit. Now in a way the serpent was telling the truth, but in Eve’s limited understanding, she had no idea what she was getting into. Once they ate they saw their nakedness and lost their innocence forever. The new knowledge was terrible thing, introducing fear for the first time into the lives of formerly secure people. And because God loved them unconditionally He made another way to deal with their sin, killing animals and covering their nakedness with the skins, and when they repented, He forgave them. This was the first sacrifice for sin.

Later in God’s Word it tells us that all along the way God blessed His people, leading them and wanting relationship with them. And though He loved them unconditionally He did put conditions on their blessings.

Deuteronomy 28:1 says: “Now it shall be, if you will diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord… will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you…if you obey…” And He goes on to list (this takes fourteen verses) the ways He would bless His people for their obedience and tender hearts toward Him.

Then in verse 15 it says: “But…if you will not obey the Lord your God to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I charge you today,… all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.” It takes 53 verses to detail the curses.

And while we now live in a day of grace God still requires us to have hearts that are tender toward Him. Those blessings and curses still apply to us, depending on the choices we make, for or against God. In fact we can still see evidence of those blessings and curses today.

And if we as a nation and as individuals refuse to repent and turn our hearts toward the Lord, the final great judgment will give us exactly what we’ve demanded, that God leave us alone and just go away. And just like in the case of Adam and Eve, getting our own way will be a terrible thing–one that holds horror that will never end–in hell, separated from God. Just because we say it isn’t so doesn’t make it any less true. Those in hell are, no doubt, shocked to find that it’s absolutely true, but by then it’s forever too late.

It’s time to diligently pray in a revival like we’ve never seen before, loving people enough to tell them the truth–that time is short, and their souls will be required at their hand. Oh, Jesus, may they have ears to hear!

In His great love,

Nancy

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