Matthew 22:36-40 NLT
“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
I think about being a Christian a lot. For me, it is a consuming passion to understand.
The more and more I study, the one thing that I keep coming to is that, as human beings, things are just not “good enough for us.”
When God created the earth and everything in it, it was perfect without a blemish.
He gave Adam and Eve one restriction:
Genesis 2:16-17 NLT
But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”
Adam and Eve living in perfection were given a choice to live in perfection, being able to eat everything except “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
Or eat from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” and die.
The serpent (satan) appeared and sewed the seed of doubt, saying:
Genesis 3:1-5 NLT
The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
So the perfection they were living in was no longer good enough, and they ate of the fruit they were told not to eat.
God provided a perfect living environment, but it just wasn’t good enough.
God wanted us to love Him with all of our heart, soul, and mind.
Genesis 1:26 NLT
Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
God created human beings in their image, “their” being God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
God wanted us to love other human beings, who were created in God’s image, as ourselves.
The challenge and the choice that Adam and Eve faced in the garden are the same trials we face today.
Our choice is to accept the saving grace of Jesus Christ or not.
Accepting Jesus Christ leads to eternal life with God.
Denying Jesus Christ leads to an eternity separated from God.
This choice that every one of us will have to make leads down two distinctly different paths:
1. Accepting Jesus Christ leads to life. We receive the Holy Spirit, and the perfecting process begins. Our focus changes, and or desire to please God starts to become a way of living in our lives.
The desire to know Jesus is present in our lives. We start to deny ourselves and our desires and begin to submit to God’s Will according to His Word.
1 Corinthians 9:27 NLT
I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
We start to treat others with patience and compassion.
Ephesians 6:12 NLT
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
2. Denying Jesus Christ leads to death. Those who chose this path live life according to the values of this world.
It is things and comfort over others.
It is getting what you want despite who it effects.
It is demanding your way over the will of others to get your way.
There is no middle ground about this choice we will all face in this life.
The good news is if you are still breathing, you have time to submit your heart to Jesus Christ.
Revelation 3:20-22 NLT
“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne. “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”
Heavenly Father, You created a perfect world, but we chose to deny You. But You loved us too much to leave us there and sent Jesus Christ in a show of amazing grace to die in our place for our sins.
I know that You are and want nothing more than a heart willing to worship You.
I know that You will continue Your work until Jesus Christ comes and I pray that You continue to give me the desire to seek You out above all else.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen!! 🙏❤️
