Luke 12:22-30
Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
He tells us in these verses that He knows what we need. We can look at the creation around us and see that He is able to meet those needs. He also tells us that we are more important than the flowers and birds, so therefore we know that He is also willing to meet our needs. His plan is to take care of all our needs while we spend our time seeking His kingdom. What does that mean? He wants us to concentrate on our relationship with him, get to know Him, learn to hear and follow His voice, understand his desire and will for our life here and for our eternity. He should be our focus. Why? Because He knows what we need and what waits ahead. Our journey of life is like hiking or taking a trip...and God is the map. He can show us the safest, quickest, most productive and even blessed way to get where we are going. If we take our eyes off of Him, we are likely to get lost, fall in a ditch or perhaps even die.
So, having said that...back in the Garden of Eden...that is exactly what happened with man.
Genesis 2:15-17
The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
Hmmm...God provided for them, but there is one thing He told them they couldn't have. Man (Adam) had it made. He had a great place to live, food, a wife (Eve - the helpmate that God created for him in Gen 2:20-24), and a relationship with his Creator. The Bible says that God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden. This is how Adam and Eve got to know their creator. It is the same in our earthly relationships. If we do not spend time together, how can we become close? The Bible does not specify how much time went by, but at some point, they took their focus off of God.
Gen 3:6
When the woman saw that 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. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
What was Eve looking at? God? No, she was looking at how the fruit (that God told them not to eat) would provide for her body.
- Good for food.
- Pleasing to the eye
- Desirable for gaining wisdom.
She stopped depending on God to meet the needs of her body...took her eyes off of Him and His instructions (which are meant to lead and guide us in a safe journey)...and chose to meet her own needs. Then, Adam ate also.
What was the result of their decision? That will be the topic of the next blog.
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