February 11: Genesis 3:9-11
Key Verse: Genesis 3:10
He answered, ‘I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.’
Devotion:
When was the last time you hid from someone in charge because you had done something wrong? I can remember trying to run away to my friends house to hide because I had done something terrible at home… Of course it didn’t work because my friends parents came round to see what had gone wrong… lets just say emergency services were there to make things safe again!
I’m pretty sure my parents knew exactly where I would head off to when something big like this happened and having people all around who look after you and care for you makes it almost impossible to disappear at times like that. God knows us better than we think He does. He knows where we will try to hide and knows what we get up to…
My parents would have shouted at me long before things got out of hand if they had been on the scene at the time! But they weren’t, and things got out of hand and my brother and I ended up getting into a lot of trouble for the trouble we caused. When we go against God’s wishes in our lives we do face having to admit to our faults at some stage because God already knows! My parents had to ask someone else what happened because they were both working at the time; luckily there was someone looking after us but they were on the other side of the house at the time…
When God came back to see what had happened, the man had run away to hide. I’m pretty sure God knew exactly where he was but God wanted the man to admit to the fault before He passed judgement! The man was not let off just because he admitted the fault; he still had to face the consequences, but because he willingly admitted it, God would make a way whereby the man could be forgiven. That is how awesome God is!
Points to Ponder:
Do you try to hide from problems?
Are you willing to face the consequences?
February 10: Genesis 3:1-7
Key Verse: Genesis 3:1
Now the snake was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?’
Devotion:
Just when you think things can not get any worse, something worse comes along! We live in a world where so many things can and do go wrong. At the moment we are praying for people in the Middle East after a devastating earthquake has shaken cities leaving many many people dead and many thousands homeless and without a safe place to live. How can this be? Is God not supposed to be looking out for us?
And God has not caused this because people have turned their backs on Him, nor is it a punishment for something someone has done wrong to God or His people! This is the world in which we live. Earthquakes happen. Volcanoes happen. Floods happen. People get caught up in things like this all the time; and sometimes a whole lot of people get caught up in things like this.
Our lot should be to share the burden with our fellow humans and to try and lessen the load they have to bare. It is not God who makes things like this happen. It is because there is evil in this world. The evil is the cause of all things bad. The longer it goes without being confronted, the more power it has and the worse things will get.
God faced the same thing in the Garden of Eden. Evil forced something bad to happen to Adam and Eve and they had to bare the brunt of the consequences for allowing evil to gain ground. We need to keep bringing God into our lives so He can face up to the evil and not allow it to take hold; but when it does, we need to share the burden with our fellow human beings no matter where in the world they are or what they are facing. Bring God into the equation so you can have a winning hand!
Points to Ponder:
Do you allow evil to take ground?
Or will you allow God to take ground?
February 9: Genesis 2:18-25
Key Verse: Genesis 2:20
So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.
Devotion:
In amongst all of this creation and the amazing things which happened, the man realised he needed someone to be with. This is the very essence of being a human – we all need someone! As a single person I know what it feels like to have nobody around most of the time. Yes God is always with me and a very real presence in my life, but its the human contact which we need in our lives.
I have always been a bit of a loner compared to others and I do find myself very good company sometimes, just being able to shut off from the world around me and to be at peace with my surroundings is a bit part of my life. But, no matter how much I enjoy being by myself most of the time, there is always a time when I do strive for company of friends and family… but even that has its limits too…
When God said we need someone as a helper, it was not to have a servant who would do everything for us, not to have a playmate whom we could call upon at any time when we get board. God was talking about having a soul-mate in our lives; someone who you can never be without in your life. Not everyone gets to find their soul-mate in their lifespan, but it is something we all would love to attain!
God knew exactly what the man needed and created a woman, a partner, different but the same, again in His image. God knows who you need in your life and is willing to help you find that person, but listening to Him and waiting on Him is sometimes a bit too much for some people and they go off hunting for something they think they need instead. This is where mankind gets lost and flounders!
Points to Ponder:
Would you trust someone to pick your lifetime partner?
Will you trust God to do exactly that?
February 8: Genesis 2:8-16
Key Verse: Genesis 2:15
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
Devotion:
One of the stumbling blocks I am always confronted with is “why did God create the tree of the knowledge of good and evil if He did not want man to eat the fruit from it?” Which, on the surface, seems like a valid point. But then the argument falls apart when you look at just about any situation in life. Why did man invent guns if they are used to kill people?
The answer is man invented the gun as a tool. Someone came along and used that tool to commit a bad sin. It is not the fault of the designer but the fault of the person committing the sin. The same can be said about the garden. God created a complete garden with everything in it. Man was the one who came along and decided to do something wrong; it is man's fault!
This is why we have laws in our societies. There are things which can be used for good and for evil. If we take something which could be used to good and use it for evil, then we are the ones committing the evil and not the tool which we use. God had no intention of making man do bad things – that was our choice and remains our choice.
Each of us has the ability to choose whether we do right or wrong. That is what defines us and sets the path of life before us. If we continue to choose the bad things in life then we are going to have to face those bad things time and time again. If we choose to do the good things, then we will face the good outcomes time and time again. Choose righteousness...
Points to Ponder:
Have you made bad choices in your life?
Will you ask Christ to forgive those bad choices?