When both Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command, they invited suffering into our world. They were separated from God in their spirit, but by God’s Grace, they could still use their soul to discern good from evil. You see that second tree, the forbidden fruit they ate, was what I call the Tree of Discernment. The Bible calls it the tree of the knowledge of the difference between good and evil. But now, whether they DID good or evil was up to them. We all know that depends on where our mind is at the time. For instance, if I am thinking good thoughts, then I will likely choose good over evil. But what if I happen to be in one of my famous moods, when I have allowed darkness to come into my heart instead of turning to Jesus, then I am more likely to choose evil instead.
This was life after The Downfall and still is for the lost, but sadly, it can be the reality for too many in “the church” too. We do not realize what we have in Christ, that if we turn to Him, He will give us the power to forsake evil and follow good instead. And so we continue to struggle with temptations and sin. But this is the goal of the Game of Destruction, to separate us from God, from His Love, from Life. To kill, steal and destroy us is the enemy’s agenda all day, every day…and why? Because God so loves the world…that’s you and me, my Friends, and every other human He ever created. Because God so loves us, the enemy really hates us…and so he seeks to destroy us by separating us from God.
When Adam and Eve disobeyed, they invited suffering into this world because they pushed away from God who is Love and all Goodness. When you and I disobey God, suffering is still the result. Whether we do this because we do not know what, or why we believe, or because we are just being stubborn, does not change the result. Suffering comes. Of course, suffering is not always and only because you and I have disobeyed God. It very well could be because others around us are disobeying Him…if you are not sure, look at the life of Perfect Jesus. But suffering is good news. We shouldn’t invite it in, we should never seek it out, but we shouldn’t run away from it when it comes either…more tomorrow
<>< Peace, Diane
