What are ways we can live that reflect we are a child of God? How are we to live our lives? We have talked about “carrying your cross daily” and reading 1 John to know if we are truly saved. This is one thing 1 John says:
1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
John uses the sins that Adam and Eve were seduced by causing The Fall, separating them from God and cursing all of us. Thanks God He sent His one and only Son to take our sins upon His shoulders and nail them to the cross to redeem us from our sins. How blessed we are to have a loving God and savior to do that for us.
Genesis 3:1-13
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'”
Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”
So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”
Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”
And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
And the story goes on. They were now naked and their sin was revealed. They were now separated from God and would face death, both physically and spiritually. There would be relationship issues between husband and wife. There would be much toil, to bring food to the table and through childbearing. But God did have a plan, a way out, a sacrifice to redeem us. But this should be a lesson. Adam and Eve were in the physical presence of almighty God. They had everything they needed, they would live forever. But in a moment, they let their pride and their lust take control and suffered the consequences.
Do you ever think about the things you complain about? Are those things really important? Here in America we are so spoiled and we have been sucked in to these sins. Everywhere we look (just watch any show on TV), we see how these sins are glamorized and how the world entices us and tempts us. Evil is being accepted and to disagree we are called bigots, homophobes and intolerant. Jesus says seek first the kingdom of God and all your needs will be provided.
While in Haiti, I have seen extreme poverty, yet people got by and they did not complain much. I see happiness and joy in the kids’ eyes and little things excite them, like bubbles. If we can have the faith of children and not allow the petty things of this world get in the way. There is great evil in Haiti that the devil lays hold of people through voodoo, but there is a great evil here, too, which is more subtle and just as destructive, which he brings in little by little, offering those desirable things that will lead to death and separation from God.
Romans 12 says do not conform to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Trust in God, not men. Look to the kingdom of heaven, not this world.
My Daily Scriptures 