relationships (Genesis 3:1-6) Get Advice and Consult the Bible

(Genesis 3:1-6)  Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION: 

So, I'm sure we can all relate to this one... being misquoted or misquoting someone else.  How annoying or infuriating is that when your words are taken out of context, making you look like something you are not?!  And how forgetful or careless are we to relay a message incorrectly.  Or - we weren't listening well enough to begin with.  That in itself is an insult to the other person.  

Here Eve was holding a conversation with Satan and discussing what God said or didn't say.  And, like the world's first slander-and-gossip-fest, Satan obviously got Eve's attention by tickling her ear.  Eve then built on this by adding to God's words - that - they were not even supposed to TOUCH the one tree!  By adding just that tiny bit, kind of makes God look and sound unreasonable.  Even though He had generously created this paradise for them and said that they could eat from everything else!

How easy is it to take the good things for granted.  And how easy it is to ignore the threat of death or some other huge consequence when some tiny, temporary delight is dangled in front of our faces?  What could it hurt???  BUT, it is not God torturing or tempting us, it is Satan's realm of darkness and our own selfishness, greed and pride!  Remember, it is not a sin to be tempted, but it is a sin to dwell on it and act on it.

Let's take some notes from Eve's actions, or lack thereof.  What should we do when we find ourselves in a similar situation?  What should Eve have done?

- delay the desire for instant gratification

- talk to another person who is wise, loving and trustworthy

- better yet and most definitely, consult God and His word!!!

- seek out wisdom, understanding and clarity

Eve could have and should have dropped everything and sought out God Himself who knows EVERYTHING!!!  And He is EVERWHERE!!!  There is no excuse.  She should have asked God directly, "Okay, so what did You actually say?  Specifically?  And could You shed some light on this so that I can understand what death would mean?" ETC!!!

Instead, Eve chose to do things her way, in her own wisdom and then amplified the problem because "misery loves company".  Getting someone else to join you in sin is NOT love.  And any sin that we commit goes against God.  Each sin that we commit without remorse is like hammering the nails into His hands and feet.  Something to visualize and consider:  can anyone say that they love God while purposefully driving nails into His hands and feet?