Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
The Choice
Genesis 2:16-17; 3:1-8
Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat. (Gen 2:16-17)
Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat. (Gen 2:16-17)
I watched as a young mother tried
to get her 2-year-old child to make a choice. “You can have fish or chicken,”
she told him. She limited his choice to just two because he was too young to
understand beyond that. Choice often allows a wider variety of options, and it
also must allow the person to reject the choices.
Adam and Eve were in the best
possible environment. God had given them freedom to eat of all the trees in
Eden. He drew the boundary lines around only one tree! They had a choice, and
it should have been a no-brainer to choose wisely. But their choice was tragic.
Some blame God for what they see
as His restrictions. They may even accuse Him of trying to control their lives.
But God gives us a choice, just as He did Adam and Eve.
Yes, God draws boundary lines,
but they are for our protection. David understood this. He wrote, “You, through
Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies . . . . I understand more than
the ancients, because I keep Your precepts. I have restrained my feet from
every evil way, that I may keep Your Word” (Ps. 119:98-101).
God cares so much about us that
He gives us boundary lines so that we will choose what is right.
PRAYER
Lord, help us to obey Your Word, To heed Your still,
small voice; And may we not be swayed by men, But make Your will our
choice.Amen.
THOUGHT
FOR THE DAY
God’s commandments were given to fulfill us, not to
frustrate