Bloggle Study: 1/4/10

Tonight I read Genesis 3 & 4 most of which is covered in the first chapter of The Story although I did find that a few segments were ommitted from these chapters unlike chapters 1 & 2 which were wholely represented in chapter 1. Anyway, the essence of what stood out to me from these passages of scripture is contained in the first part of chapter 3 verses 1-19. In this segment both Adam and Eve are tempted to ignore God's guidance and fall prey to Satan's crafty reasoning that God was just trying to boss them around like a big bully and keep then from enjoying life to the fullest( vs. 1-5). The verse that nearly makes me want to vomit is verse 6 (When the woman saw the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.), not because I am appalled at Eve's reaction to the fruit after hearing Satan's sly sales-pitch, but because I can so easily relate to her faulty vision that so ignorantly fails to view the temptation through the corrective lens of God's word (2:16-17 and the Lord God commanded the man, " You are free to ear from any tree in the garden, butyou must not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil , for when you eat of it you will surely die."). Ugh...Why do we do that? We know God, the creator of us and the world in which we exist who, as a result, loves us and possesses all possible wisdom on how this world works and how to exist in it in a joy-filled and contented manner has given us instructions on how to live here in such a manner. Why do we second guess his perfect love and wisdom and suggest that we know better what we need and what will make us happy? That's exactly what Eve did and exactly what we do every time we sin...We say, "God, we know you said no, but it looks good to me, so I'm gonna try it anyway because I know I can't be happy without it," and I think God must knowingly shake his head in frustration and pain as he stands by and heart-brokenly watches the child he loves experience the consequences from which he lovingly tried to shield her. We repeatedly force him away with our sin and disobedience, and how does our creator respond to his insolent, bratty creation? He goes to work constructing a beautifully intricate and merciful plan to satisfy his Godly and perfect requirement for justice in which he plays the staring and sacrificial role by coming to the earth he created as a man named Jesus Christ, so he could live the perfect life that we cannot and serve the punishment for our crimes of which he is totally innocent all so he could reestablish that intimate relationship that he longs for with each man, woman, and child he creates! What a wonderful God we have! Let's learn some things from Eve and these childhood stories from Genesis this time around...(1) God created this world, so it only makes sense that he knows how it works better than any other being! (2) He loves man/woman and desires above all else to be in an intimate relationship with him/her (3) these two facts together equate to the reality that God's word is based on his great wisdom and never-ending love, so his guidance will always have our best interests factored in already. We never need to second guess whether God has considered our happiness and contentment when instructing us because that is what he desires for our lives as well, so that is exactly where he intends to guide us! (4) if we choose to ignore God's guidance in any area of our lives, we might as well brace ourselves because we will soon learn from what God was attemptng to protect his beloved child. Don't go sassing God when you get what you asked for when you ignored his instruction. In fact, when you are bearing the consequences of your sin, feel loved because you know your Father-in-Heaven wanted to protect you from the heart-ache you are experiencing...He didn't choose it for you. He just allowed you to choose it for yourself, and you did because it looked soooo good, but now, you know what God did all along, its so bitter and nasty that its painful:( The good news is He loves you so much He already paid the eternal punishment for your poor decisions and you don't have to remain separated from him. You can receive the gift he offered you by dying on the cross for your sins, and start heeding his advice, and he will lead you from whereever you've gotten yourself lost at to the joy and contentment that he always intended for you! You've gotta love a God that good, loving, and merciful! I know I do!! Let him lead you to the joy-filled contented life he planned for you today! He's standing by waiting for you to seek his guidance from whereever you have landed yourself:)