Choice
The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. 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 2:15-17 (NLT)
When God created the first man named Adam, He placed him in a beautiful garden. Through this garden, God provided for several of the man’s needs.
God met Adam’s need for a purpose by trusting the man to be responsible for caring for the garden. Likely, Adam felt gratitude for the trust God placed in him. Maybe Adam felt appreciated for being trusted with this task. If I had been Adam, I might have felt some inadequacy and may have asked God if He was sure about picking me for this job because I might mess something up!
God demonstrated that He would provide for Adam’s physical needs by allowing him to freely eat the fruit of many different trees in the garden. There was an overwhelming abundance of items available for Adam’s physical life. Fruit that would produce and continue to reproduce so that Adam would have an unlimited source of nourishment for his survival and variety for his enjoyment.
God also accommodated man’s need to choose by placing one tree in the garden that would not benefit Adam. God was clear with His instructions and the consequences of disobeying His guidance. This allowed Adam to choose whether to obey or disobey God. It allowed Adam the option to trust the Creator as Lord or trust himself as lord.
I appreciate partaking in a good buffet of food. I like tasting the variety of choices and enjoying the satisfaction of good food. However, my digestive system sometimes has difficulty with dairy products. Imagine if I sat down to a feast of meats, fruits and vegetables but had one dish of cheese available. I could enjoy almost the entire selection of foods with no harmful consequences, but if I ate that one plate of cheese, I’d be miserable. It seems like an easy choice, but I love the taste of cheese!
God provided Adam with a wide variety of choices for his nourishment, but there was only one choice that would be a bad one. God’s love provides what’s best for us, but God’s love also allows us not to trust Him. Though we have the opportunity to disregard and disobey God, the assortment of good things God provides when we trust Him is vastly greater than we can even understand.
Application: Focus on the good things God has done for you. Ask God to remind you of something He has provided for you.
Prayer: Thank God for His provision for you.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?