Story

“Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.” Genesis 2:8, 15 NLT

As I sit here in the morning stillness, I can almost see the perfection. My cat silently roams the wilderness of our currently crowded living room (we’re still remodeling) while we listen to soothing, quiet music.  Life is good. At the moment. It was for Adam and Eve. And then chapter 3 happened.

“‘By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.’” Genesis 3:19 NLT

What happened?! We know. And so it happens to us. We heard, we learned- we know the right thing, yet “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Romans 3:23

Just one warning from God. That’s all, and they couldn’t (wouldn’t, didn’t) obey.
“But the Lord God warned him, ‘You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.’” Genesis 2:16-17 NLT

God’s punishment was quickly pronounced.
“And to the man he said, ‘Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.’ Genesis 3:17 NLT

Today we can thank God that this isn’t the end of the story! Genesis is only the beginning of God’s story of redemption. We can thank Jesus for taking the punishment for us, and Holy Spirit for wooing us to God’s throne of grace.

“Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.” Romans 3:24 NLT