Scripture Reading: Genesis 2:8-17
“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”—Genesis 2:17
We know children and teens—tell them what they aren’t allowed to do, then watch them scheme and maneuver to do that very thing. Even mature adults fall prey to pursuing something simply because it’s forbidden.
So, it’s interesting that a gracious, loving God placed a tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the midst of a garden, then told Adam not to eat from the tree. Each day, Adam and Eve had to choose to obey or disobey. Why?
It’s a constant theme. From the Garden of Eden until this very day, God provides for and protects His people. He instructs us in right and wrong, and tells us obedience proves our love for Him. Then, having given us the gift of free will, He puts us to the test. We must to decide to obey or disobey. He wants us to choose wisely. He even provides the tools for us to make and live by the right decision. Still, at the risk we will disobey, God lays before us a choice.
God loves us authentically; so much so that He allows us to choose whether we love Him. Our love isn’t demonstrated by words alone, but by our decisions and actions. Certainly, we fall short at times, but we express our love by our choice to obey. If we are programmed only to love and obey, without choices, we miss the opportunity to see and experience the full depths of how choosing to love and obey God enriches our lives. And, we miss seeing the depths He will go to help us successfully pass the test; if only we would ask for His help.
Each day, God still puts us to the test as a measure of our obedience and love. Each day we must make a choice.
Question to Ponder: Each day, God gives us the choice to obey or disobey Him. What will we do with this day He’s given us?
“And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”—Joshua 24:15
