Making Choices

We all make choices everyday of our lives. Some can be as simple as choosing a color to paint the trim boards on our houses or as complex as what to do about an unplanned pregnancy. The ability to choose is what makes us different from all other life on earth. Choice is a measuring stick that demonstrates to God what things are really important to us. All God really wanted from the very beginning was to have a loving relationship with us where we would choose to love Him. He never wanted pre-programmed robots who submitted to His authority because of a particular line of code that was written into their programs.

Thus God provided two trees in the garden that were different from all the rest; the Tree of Life and the Tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil. God had instructed Adam not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and that death would be the ultimate result. On the seventh day of creation God rested from all His work not because He was exhausted but rather His creation was complete and perfect (Gen 2:2,3). He blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it. It was almost like God took a deep breath and sighed, a dramatic pause or like the calm before a huge approaching storm. But for now, man is still innocent, everything is working the way it should and there is fellowship between man and God as they walked together in the Garden of Eden.

The Hebrew word translated “serpent” in Genesis 3:1 could also be translated “shinning one”. In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians he writes “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14) also in the book of Revelation we read “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Rev. 12:9).

Satan’s plan from the beginning has been to cast doubt on what God has instructed us to do. His main weapon is his ability to muddy the waters, to blend white and black pigments thus blurring the lines between what is good and evil.  His battle plan is to discourage us at every turn and get us to doubt our faith in God and His Divine provisions for our lives. If we would all just have the strength David had as he writes in the 23^rd psalm “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4) It’s in those truly dark times in our lives that God is really working on developing our character. Buts it’s up to us to surrender our wills and choose to obey Him.

It’s interesting that Satan was one of God’s most beautiful cherubs ever created. And through his own pride he desired to be like “The Most High”. God casts him out of heaven to the earth where in the garden he begins to influence Adam and Eve. When we fail to follow God’s instructions, we sin or fall short of His perfect plan for our lives. There is always a cost associated with making incorrect decisions. And we ultimately reap what we have sown in our lives which usually results in some sort of catastrophe.

There is much responsibility that goes along with choice and having “Freewill”. When confronted by God after disobeying, both Adam and Eve shucked off their responsibility for their sin. It is of the utmost importance that we all take full responsibility for our actions and decisions in our lives. If you find yourself blaming God for your situation in life, don’t! Instead, seek Him through His word to find the answers. He loves us all so very much that He provided a plan of redemption before the creation of the world. At every turn He has tried to save us from our own wicked hearts, thoughts and desires.

So the first step in our journey to walk with God is to first acknowledge Him as the almighty Creator that He is. We also need to communicate with Him through prayer and begin to choose to make good decisions based on the truths found in His living word, the bible. As a result of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, death became a frightening reality to these eternal beings who were once allowed to eat freely from the Tree of Life. God, the Father, in His perfect wisdom places cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the way to the Tree of Life.  As we are already beginning to see the extent of God’s grace and mercy as He introduces death into this new fallen world. Because without death, all humanity would have been condemned to live forever, eternally in a state of sin, separated from a loving God. I hope you will continue to follow along with us as we discover the depth of God’s love for us as He willing pays our debt through His one and only Son, Jesus Christ!