Genesis 3: 1-6. Disguised as a crafty serpent, Satan came to tempt Eve. At one time , Satan had been a glorious angel. But in pride, he rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven. As a created being, Satan has definite limitations. Although he is trying to tempt everyone from God, he will not be the final victor. God promises that Satan will be crushed by one of the women’s offspring, the Messiah..
Why does Satan tempt us? Temptation is Satan’s invitation to give in to his kind of life and give up on God’s kind of life. Satan tempted Eve and succeeded in getting her to sin. Ever since then, he’s been busy getting people to sin. He even tempted Jesus (Matthew 4:11) But Jesus did not sin. The serpent, Satan, tempted Eve by getting her to doubt God’s goodness. He implied that God was strict, stingy, and selfish for not wanting Eve to share his knowledge of good and evil. Satan made Eve forget all that God had given her and, instead, focus on what God had forbidden. We fall into trouble, too, when we dwell on what God forbids rather than on the countless blessings and promises he has given us. The next time you are feeling sorry for yourself and what you don’t have, consider all you do have and thank God. Then your doubts won't lead you into sin.
Genesis 3: 7-8-9. Notice what Eve did: She looked, she took, she ate, and she gave. The battle is often lost at the first look. Temptation often begins by simply seeing something you want. Are you struggling with temptation because you have not learned that looking is the first step toward sin. You would win over temptation more often if you followed Paul’s advice to run from those things that produce evil thoughts. When we do something wrong, often we try to relieve our guilt by involving someone else. Like toxic waste spilled in a river, sin swiftly spreads. Recognize and confess your sin to God before you are tempted to pollute those around you. A guilty conscience is a warning signal God placed inside you that goes off when you’ve done wrong. The worst step you could take is to eliminate the guilty feeling without eliminating the cause. That would be like using a pain killer without treating the disease. Be glad those guilty feelings are there. They make you aware of your sin.
The thought of two humans covered with fig leaves trying to hide from the all-seeing, all knowing God is humorous. How could they be so silly as to think they could actually hide? Yet we do the same, acting as though God doesn’t know what were doing.
Genesis 3: 11-13. Adam and Eve failed to heed God’s warning recorded in 2: 16-17. They did not understand the reasons for his command, so they chose to act in another way that looked better to them. When God asked Adam about his sin, Adam blamed Eve. Then Eve blamed the serpent. How easy it is to excuse our sins by blaming someone else.
Genesis 3:17-19. Adam and Eve’s disobedience and fall from God’s gracious presence affected all creation, including the environment. Years ago people thought nothing of polluting streams with chemical waste and garbage. This seemed so insignificant, so small. Now we know that just two or three parts per million of certain chemicals can damage human health. Sin in our lives is similar to pollution in streams. Even small amounts are deadly.
Genesis 3:22. Life in the Garden of Eden was like living in Heaven. Everything was perfect, and if Adam and Eve had obeyed God, they could have lived there forever. Like Adam and Eve, all of us have sinned and are separated from fellowship with God. We do not have to stay separated, however. God is preparing a new earth as an eternal paradise for his people. (Revelation 22)
When people obey God, they find peace with him, with others, and with themselves.
Image reference: Flickriver.com
GZ
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