God’s Garden

God’s Garden

This morning as I lay half asleep, I listened intently as the Holy Spirit began to impress on me the Garden of Eden. God’s garden…

God planted a garden and I thought hum, that’s interesting Lord, It must have been a large place because there were rivers and lots of plants, trees, vegetation and tons of animals.

I also had the thought that the animals must have been able to talk. I know, right? The thoughts we have sometimes…funny but really anything’s possible. It does say the serpent spoke to Eve.

I thought about how God said, “Let us make man in our image.” And so he took dirt and created the man. Then to give him life he breathed into his nostrils and the man became alive…he had a living soul. The soul would live forever.

God had created a gardener for His garden…his name was Adam…

He must have been alone for a long, long time…because he had to name all the plants and the different birds and fish, the stars and the sun and moon, and then name all the animals that dwelt in the garden.

And then finally when Adam had completed his task he sat down and he was lonely.
So God said, “The man is alone and there is none like him to have as a helpmate, so God caused a deep sleep to come over Adam…and instead of taking more dirt to make the helpmate he took a rib from the man and created a woman. He named her Eve.

I thought about why God would make woman this way from man’s rib and not from the dirt…then I thought well it must have been his plan because from man and woman would come children…

He said the man and the woman would become one…to be fruitful and multiply they would bring forth offspring…That was God’s plan…

The man did not decide how things were to be done…God did.

You see it’s when we as humans try to take things into our own hands and minds and say we know better than God, that everything gets out of sorts…we fall.

Wars come and disasters and famine and plagues…chaos and destruction.

Life began in the garden…God’s garden…

Death also began in the garden…

Why because of disobedience…

“You may eat of any tree in the garden, all except one. Do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” God said.

Because he knew if they did, they would die. Oh not right away but it would separate them from God’s love and care. They would die because they were no longer in the presence of a sinless God. He who generates life…the serpent knew this too.

Adam and Eve never knew what death was…they’d never seen anything die. All they knew was that God had said do not eat it, because if you do, you will die. This was God’s garden he had his reasons for them not to eat of it. One command was all they had to keep and they couldn’t do it, they disobeyed…

Why, because they were temped and instead of obeying they disobeyed what God had said.

The serpent, the sly, hissing, tempter, whispered to Eve…”Go ahead Eve, eat it, it’s OK, and surely you won’t die.”

And so, she took the fruit and ate it and her eyes were opened then she gave it to Adam and he also ate.

Fear entered their hearts, they knew they were naked they were afraid and they hid themselves from God.

You know the rest of the story, if not read Genesis; it’s the first book in the Old Testament…

The thing is this…you can believe the story for the truth that it is, or you can chalk it up to some fantasy…but just as the serpent beguiled Eve and deceived her he’s still doing that today…

“Surely you won’t die,” hisses the serpent, as he sits sneering in his glib little way, slithering and waiting for you to disobey.

Then when death comes it’s too late, the consequences for sin is death.
Your only redemption is through the blood of Jesus, he is the only one who can save you from sin and death.

Think about it!!!

Will you choose life?

Or will you choose death?

There was another garden; the garden where Jesus the son of God prayed. He prayed until his sweat was as great drops of blood pouring from his body. The body he created to live in God’s garden forever…but the man and God were separated by sin, high treason against God.  Man and woman were no longer innocent, no longer without fear or doubts, now they knew what being tormented was all about. The serpent had seemingly won…

Man and woman had fallen and were cast out of the garden.

But on another night many, many years later in another garden the Garden of Gethsemane, God’s plan to rescue His children, would be fulfilled…that night Jesus would make all things right again…He surrendered to His Father’s will…the serpent had not won…

There is a new garden now. God’s garden, where He’s gathering His precious trees, rivers, flowers, herbs, weeds, animals, birds, sea creatures, mountains and plains, it’s a garden where his children can thrive and live and never have to be threatened of being thrown out of ever again. The garden of life where Jesus is the Tree of Life…you can only get to this garden one way; and that is through Jesus, God’s son. Now you have full access to the Tree of Life. Where once, if you ate of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you would surly die….Now all who eat of the Tree of Life, will live and never die…

It’s your choice, God never goes against His word…He gave us all a free will…Jesus could have said, “No way, Abba, I can’t do this…” instead he said, “Never-the-less, not my will, but thine be done!” Praise God!

What will you do?  Will you continue to live your own way, rejecting the Tree of Life. Living life in toil and despair? Or, will you surrender your will to His will and live having hope in the midst of despair and love in the midst of hate? Life or death it’s your choice. Will you dare to accept the call!

~~Marla Shaw O’Neill 6/29/15©

Genesis 3New Living Translation (NLT) The Man and Woman Sin

Matthew 26:36-46New Living Translation (NLT) Jesus Prays in Gethsemane