“The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.” 
(Gen. 2:8; NASB)

We all know the story, but have you ever sat and thought about how incredible it is that we are all descendants of the couple that God put in the garden? He created all of the plants and animals for them, and us. Every one of us is a beneficiary of what God created. He caused every tree that is pleasing to the sight, and good for food, to grow (see Gen. 2:9). He gave man purpose by putting him “into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.” (2:15) He didn’t want man to be alone, so He created “every beast of the field and every bird of the sky” (Gen. 2:19). When they did not provide the help and companionship man needed, He created woman. He caused the rivers to flow to sustain it all (vs. 10-14). He even went so far as to give us “every moving thing that is alive,” to eat whenever we get hungry (see Gen. 9:3). So with all of that love and care at our disposal, everything should be going great, right?

One of the reasons many people have trouble with that last statement is we still have the same problem Adam and Eve had. We let our flesh (worldly) nature have too much influence on how we perceive life. We can blame the devil all we want, but we are each responsible for the decisions we make. The first family feud in the Bible had a tragic ending because of a bad decision. Cain faced a decision of whether to do the right thing or let his anger rule him. The Lord said to him “…sin lies crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” (Gen. 4:8) He could decide to accept God’s love and guidance to master the sin, or he could let the sin master him. He chose the latter, and paid a price for that decision.

Every day is a gift from God. Whether the sun is out and the weather is nice, or it’s dark, stormy, cold and nasty, it is all for the good of His creation. It’s the same in our personal lives. He loves us so much He offered His one and only Son to be hung on a cross till death, so we can have everlasting life with Him. He has given us a Book that explains His plan to help us understand His ways. He has offered His Holy Spirit to anyone who has accepted His Son Jesus Christ, to provide all we need to navigate through this life here on earth. When our perception of life lines up with how God sees it, everything changes. The Lord has given each of us the option of seeing our life through His loving, caring eyes. The rewards of choosing that option are beyond anything words can describe. Take time this week to thank God for His everlasting gift. Life in Christ truly is the gift that keeps on giving.

Have a great week and God bless.