The Small Print
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Genesis 3:4-5 (NIV)
If you are like me, you have signed plenty of documents and contracts during the years. One thing that I was always told was, “Read the small print.” The reason for this is because when the vendor or whomever is presenting the document, they may fail to share with you the small things in an effort to make sure you do not back out. That is what the devil did in the verse above. He gave a vague representation of what God said. Eve fell for it, ate the fruit from the Tree of Good and Evil, and likewise her husband. This set in motion what the world is today.
In John 10:10 (NIV) it says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” When Adam and Eve ate the fruit, he stole their innocence. Adam and Eve did not know that they were naked until they ate the fruit. Before then, they were in the Garden of Eden naked literally without a care in the world. The devil killed their connection with God. They chose to take the word of the serpent over the word of God. I am pretty sure this lack of trust affected how God chose to deal with them. It destroyed the Garden of Eden. They had everything that they would ever need. They did not work for anything. Everything changed when they were banished from the Garden. 24 “After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” Genesis 3:24 (NIV)
We live in our own Garden of Eden everyday. As believers, God gives us the choice between doing good and doing evil. How we live represents what we choose on an everyday basis? Will you always choose to do good? No. Will you sometimes do evil? Yes. We are flesh before we are spiritual. Do not beat yourself up when you have either day. Each day God opens your eyes, He gives you an opportunity to walk in good.
I encourage you today to do what God puts in your heart to do. The God in you will always try and want to do good. He will never steer you wrong. Have a Blessed Evening!