Devotionals for February 8, 2024
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READ
Genesis 3:1-6
1 He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,
3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 So 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 to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate
1 He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,
3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 So 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 to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate
REFLECT
Oswald Chambers once said that “the root of all sin is the suspicion that God is not good.” I would add that the suspicion that God is not good immediately creates self-protective goals in human beings. Imagine you are on the bank of a river and you see someone drowning. If you are insecure about your ability to swim, you will likely hesitate to save them. In fact, you may refuse to jump into the water because you fear drowning yourself. Insecurity always produces self-protection. It is only when another more secure conviction, says the moral duty to save someone, overrides your insecurity that the redemptive goal of rescuing the person will result.
Spiritually, all sin is the product of self-protective goals rooted in insecure beliefs about God. When God behaves in ways that confuse and vex us when we cannot see what He is doing or the purpose behind it, insecure thoughts enter our minds and motivate sinful behavior. However, the secure belief that God is good in all that He does and that in every situation He is working behind the scenes for our ultimate good will likely make us face the trials of life with more confidence. This is what enabled Jesus, just hours before embracing the cross, to say “Not as I will, but as you will.”
Spiritually, all sin is the product of self-protective goals rooted in insecure beliefs about God. When God behaves in ways that confuse and vex us when we cannot see what He is doing or the purpose behind it, insecure thoughts enter our minds and motivate sinful behavior. However, the secure belief that God is good in all that He does and that in every situation He is working behind the scenes for our ultimate good will likely make us face the trials of life with more confidence. This is what enabled Jesus, just hours before embracing the cross, to say “Not as I will, but as you will.”
APPLY
Q: What was the lie Adam and Eve believed?
Q: Where in your life do you behave like our distant parents?
Q: How does a secure belief in God impact you in sharing your faith?
Q: Where in your life do you behave like our distant parents?
Q: How does a secure belief in God impact you in sharing your faith?
SING
PRAY
"Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us."
Lord forgive us for our lack of trust in your goodness. Amen.
Lord forgive us for our lack of trust in your goodness. Amen.