Read: Genesis 3 & Psalm 145:13 & Matthew 6:9-13
I hate decisions. With decisions small and large, I think through every option and over-analyze the potential outcomes. I wind up paralyzed with too much information. I've often said, “If I only knew God’s will, this would be so easy!” Many Christians think if we knew God’s plans, we would eagerly jump on board.
But as I read Genesis 3, it hit me how easily we are swayed from following God. God gave Adam and Eve clear and specific instructions for their lives in the garden. They had everything they could need or want, and authority over all the creatures in the garden. God only asked them not to do one thing. And guess what happened? Just three chapters into the Bible, Adam and Eve knowingly and willingly allowed their desires to trump God’s desires. We can pretend that we would have acted differently, or we can honestly admit that we also fight the temptation to do what seems right to us.
Scriptures remind us that as we seek God’s will, we need to listen and obey. We need to pray, and resist temptation. We also need to remember that God is faithful. He is faithful to us and to His promises. God often allows us to feel the consequences of our actions, but He always makes a way for redemption and mercy. At the end of Genesis 3, Adam and Eve still had everything they needed and they were still in relationship with the Father. But they were also very aware of their sin.
May it be so with each one of us as we seek to follow God and do His will in our lives every day.
