How Could We Have Ruined Such a Great Place!
That isn’t a question but a exclamation.
I am talking about the perfect love relationship both with God and each other. Adam and God had a perfect relationship. God gave Adam everything He needed for life and shared His great love with Adam in many, many ways. Adam had a full-time job of caring for a garden in paradise, the privilege of walking with God each day and having a friendship with the Almighty, had his physical needs met for food and water, enjoyed perfect health, and had the original creation Eve as his life partner. They were the perfect pair in the perfect place living the perfect life. The environment God had created for them was the safest place ever! But….
You probably already know what happened in Genesis chapter 3. Adam and Eve disobeyed the one and only rule God had placed on their stay in the garden of Eden. He said, “Don’t eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The day you eat it you will surely die.” Seems clear enough and pretty simple, doesn’t it? I am not here blaming one of the other because both messed up, and the safest place became the most dangerous place as death and sin entered creating a hostile environment for man and beast, as well as, destroying their perfect relationship with God and each other.
We know that it happened and was clearly seen in the way they hid from God and then blamed others for their horrible choices. They tried to cover themselves, but that didn’t work. Adam and Eve ruined the perfect gift of love for themselves then set mankind on the road to try to recover it. Our efforts couldn’t restore the right relationship with God nor have they proven effective at rebuilding a perfect relationship with others…marriage, parenting, friendships, work relationship…etc.
However, that isn’t the end of the story. Jesus Christ came to earth and lived the perfect relationship with His Father God and with others, giving us an example. He knows and so do we, that we can’t live up to the example He set, so Jesus did something amazing and miraculous. When He died on the cross, He paid the debt our sin had incurred and rose from the grave to give us eternal life with Him. He then gave us His Holy Spirit to produce in us all the love and gracious gifts we cannot create for ourselves! He gave us everything we need for life and for godliness!
What am I saying? Because of our new life in Christ I can grow to love more as He loves, forgive as He does, obey the Father as He does, be kind to others as He is, and in a phrase “be conformed to His image”. That is the promise God made to all who believe and are born again into this new life He offers.
The first Adam ruined it. The Lord Jesus restores it all, and He even gives us eternal life where (at least I believe based on good evidence) that we’ll have all that perfection restored so we will love and worship of the Father and love one another as He loves us. Until then, let’s keep trusting Jesus to shape us into loving, obedient servants of the Most High God… who love Him and each other well.
This is not a safe place now that sin has poisoned the hearts and minds of so many, but we are headed to a safe place…the safest of place. Until then do all you can to make your places (home, work, relationships) safe places for love to grow.
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Hope you continue to do a weekly meeting with your spouse / friend using the Top Ten Relationship Needs and these 52-Week Plans as discussion starters!!