Please begin with Part I to see the full picture of this devotional.
And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice 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 amongst the trees of the garden. Genesis 3:7-8 (KJV)
Sin caused man to run from God rather than to God
Adam & Eve hid behind the trees in the hopes that God would not find them. Did they forget who God is? Didn’t He reach inside Adam and made a woman out of his rib? Is there anything hidden from His sight!? As a result of sin, Adam & Eve’s perspective of God changed, and He was not as powerful in their eyes as He used to be.
Adam & Eve decided to hide themselves amongst the trees which was prophetic of what was to come. God was going to use another tree in the form of the cross to hide man’s sin! The cross made out of a tree was a tool that God used for the punishment and judgment of sin paid in full by Jesus! Thank you Lord!
Sin caused loss of fellowship
Sadly, sin not only made Adam & Eve run from God, but it also made them lose the desire to be in God’s presence and enjoy walking with Him. We may have many aspirations to accomplish things in life, but it in His presence that we gain clarity about our purpose.
When we sin or others sin against it, it seems that our first reaction is to run from God. This is a battle we have to fight and overcome. We need to learn to run to God rather than from God despite of the pain and shame.
Regardless of whether we have sinned or God’s people have sinned against us, it is only in running to Him that we gain clarity about ourselves and our situation. If we run from Him, we will become confused about the truth, and it will lead us to cover our sin or pain with our own ideas. Running to God is always the best strategy!
Concluding this series
In conclusion , the main lesson of the above scriptures is that sin opened man’s eyes to more than he could handle on his own. He realized how much he lacked and tried to compensate for it by self-improvement.
There have been thousands of self-help books written over the years. Self-improvement can take us so far, but it will not give us the most important things which are eternal life, purpose, peace, and joy. Self-improvement never satisfies the inner lack until we receive God’s work through Jesus.
How is your internal world? Would you openly and honestly share your needs with the Lord and wait for His answer to your needs?
