Girlfriends in God - Jan. 22, 2008
Perfectly Forgiven
Today’s Truth
“Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him” (Romans 4:8, NIV).
Friend to Friend
Wouldn’t it be cool if the world were perfect? Think about it. How fun would it be to have a perfect house, a perfect husband, perfect kids, and a perfect car? And how about a perfect figure, perfect friendships, perfect health, and a perfect heart?
Hmmmmm… That just sounds so foreign – so not real – yet so strangely familiar.
It’s wild to consider the fact that our world actually began that way. God created the world and everything in it, and it was good. Perfectly good. Then He put Adam (the first man) in charge of all the earth, gave him a perfectly fabulous wife, and gave him one teeny, little instruction to follow. “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:15-17).
Just one rule, that’s all! Stay away from the fruit hanging from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. How hard is that?
Everything was perfect…until that fair afternoon in the garden when mother Eve took that very first bite of rebellion. You know the story. It’s Bible 101. Here’s how it went down:
“Now the serpent 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'?"
The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "
"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:1-8).
So, after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit from the tree, they hid from God. Okay, seriously, how ridiculous is that? As if God, the Creator of all things, couldn’t see past a few trees! Good grief! It’s so silly, yet, don’t you and I do the exact same thing? When we sin, our gut response is to hide from God.
As they hid behind trees, God knew where Adam and Eve were the whole time. He also knew what they had done. Yet, He pursued them with the purpose of restoring their relationship. He called out to His sinful children, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9).
Once they came out from hiding, Adam and Eve admitted their guilt to the LORD. After hearing their confessions and handing out consequences, “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). He accepted their confessions of guilt, and then made a way for their shame to be covered.
In order for garments of skin to be divinely constructed, an innocent animal had to shed its blood. The death of that animal provided the means for their clothes to be made, right? Only three chapters into the history of mankind, we see the very first blood sacrifice made. From that time on, a sacrifice of blood has always been required of God to atone for, to cover, our rebellious hearts.
The Bible calls our rebellion sin. Sin is described in a million different ways, but essentially, I understand it to be: missing the mark of perfection. In God’s economy, if we miss the mark once, which we all do, we are in need of His covering. The good news is - God loves you so much, that He made a way for your sins to be covered through His perfect son, Jesus. So, though you and I aren’t perfect and we don’t live in a perfect world; in Christ we can be perfectly forgiven.
Let’s Pray
Dear God, You are a good and perfect Father. Thank You for making a way for my guilt to be forgiven through Jesus. When shame fills my heart and I’m tempted to hide from You, please remind me that You’ve got me covered. Strengthen me to resist the devil and walk in Your ways. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
- Is there a forbidden fruit that you’ve been eyeing? Stop and run the other way, friend! Don’t fall for the schemes of the slippery snake like Eve did.
- What sin/rebellion has made you hide from God? What step(s) do you need to take in order to deal with that sin?
- Is there something you need to confess to Him now?
- Find time today to get alone, talk with God, confess that sin and celebrate His forgiveness.
More from the Girlfriends
Hey friend. There’s something about this topic of forgiveness that I can’t stay away from! God’s grace continually amazes me. I’d love to hear how God’s grace has impacted your life! Go to my blog (www.gwensmithsblog.blogspot.com) and leave a comment as a testimony to the power of His forgiveness! If I get comments from more than 50 different GiGs, I will give away a free BECAUSE CD to a random commenter!
Gwen Smith is a worship artist, songwriter, speaker, and author. Visit her MySpace at www.myspace.com/gwensmithmusic, her website at: www.GwenSmith.net, or stop by her e-store to grab a few of her worship CDs.
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