Thursday, January 18, 2024
The woman was convinced [when the serpent told her it was OK to eat the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden]. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.
God created a perfect universe and declared everything He made was "very good!" [1] He created humans, both male and female, in His image, and made them for fellowship with Him.[2] The humans had only one requirement: They could not eat fruit from "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."[3] Satan, their adversary, tempted Eve through what the serpent told her. She fell for his lies, and her temptation followed the path of most sin:
In these few sentences, the Holy Spirit shows us the progressive power of temptation that allows sin and deceit to destroy relationships. This process is how Satan brought, and still brings, his destruction into our world. This series of events is called "The Fall." The devastation in its wake brought death to everyone [4] and "bondage to decay" [5] to everything that was once "very good!"
Our current problems with maintaining loving relationships with each other and a vital fellowship with God are part of the devastation from "The Fall." We often follow this progression of temptation, sin, and death in our lives. [6] God's demonstrated His grace and love to us in Jesus. This love and the help of the Holy Spirit [7] should help us say, "No!" to Satan's lies. Then, as we live godly and loving lives with each other, we can restore fellowship with each other while bringing honor to God. [8] Sin always fractures relationships and damages fellowship. Let's say "No!" to Satan's lies and to sin.
God, please forgive us for doubting Your goodness and believing the lies of Satan. We ask that You continue to pour the power of the Holy Spirit into our hearts so that we can say, "No!" to sin and "Yes!" to Your plans to bless us and our relationships. In Jesus' name, we ask for Your forgiveness and empowering grace. Amen.
![Illustration of Genesis 3:6-8 NLT — The woman was convinced [when the serpent told her it was OK to eat the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden]. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.](https://img.heartlight.org/overlazy/creations/30883.jpg "Illustration of Genesis 3:6-8 NLT — The woman was convinced [when the serpent told her it was OK to eat the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden]. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.")
Together in Christ is a daily devotional that focuses on what Scripture teaches about godly living in relationships.
'Together in Christ' is written by Phil Ware.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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