They Got What They Wanted, But They Lost What They Had

Do you ever think much about what it must have been like in the Garden of Eden for Adam and Eve? Roses without thorns. No weeds growing anywhere. Lions and tigers that could be petted like your kitten. No awful stinging red wasps. No pain in their joints when they woke up in the mornings. No gray hair or wrinkles. Beautiful, lush vegetation growing in perfect landscaping. Just absolute perfectness twenty-four hours a day! My but they must have loved living there!

Only ONE restriction did God put on them: Genesis 2: 16-17 "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." God had already said earlier in chapter 2 verse 9 that every tree that was in the garden was either "pleasant to the sight" or "good for food". It was literally paradise on earth!

But ...God gave them a choice of whether they would choose His way or their own way. He wanted to have His creation love Him of their own free will and not just be little robots He could wind up and play with. We all know what is recorded in Genesis 3....Satan in the form of a serpent tempted Eve, Eve tempted Adam and they both chose to listen to Satan instead of God. Then verse 7 says: "And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked:" They immediately felt the change. Immediately they knew they had done wrong. They had gotten to taste of that one fruit God had forbidden them to eat....but now they could no longer stay in the perfect garden and even look at the beautiful things anymore. They got what they wanted, but they lost what they had! Now they would have to deal with thorns, thistles, pain, sickness, and even death. "So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." Genesis 3: 24 Never would they see the Garden of Eden again.

Do you think we learned our lesson from reading about Adam and Eve? No! We are just like them. God shows us the best He has for us. He shows us what is bad for us. Then He leaves the choice to us. He still doesn't want little robots.....He desires real live flesh and blood children who choose to love Him and live for Him. But we are still prone to listen to the lies of Satan and choose the things that are bad for us. Lord, help us to listen to You and Your Truth!

There are so many "forbidden fruits" that Satan still holds out to us today! With most of them we face the possibility of losing the good things we already have if we give in to temptations. Many a person has lost his/her family because they were unfaithful to their spouse. Some have lost their homes or businesses because they wanted to see what all the excitement was about gambling and it just went too far. The person who wanted someone dead so badly that they just killed them now sits in a jail cell for the rest of their life. Re-hab centers are full of people who wanted to just "try" alcohol or drugs and found that they were one of the ones who became an addict. Yes, they got what they wanted....but they lost what they had! I could go on and on. We just have to be on guard. We have to get as close to God as we possibly can so that our everyday choices will not become regrets!

May God help us all to make right choices today!

Marilyn

(This post is also running today @ http://kjvblogs.blogspot.com/2010/03/wednesday-in-word-they-got-what-they.html )