Our Heavenly Father made sure that the humans He created, Adam and Eve, had everything that they could ever want. Before they betrayed Him, they were naked, unashamed, unbothered, loving, and eternal. They were perfect, and everything in their world was perfect. It was totally transparent and totally good. Adam and Eve had no knowledge of evil and only knew the goodness of God. As we consider everything that surrounded them, no good thing was excluded. So, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was there in the Garden of Eden as well. Our Heavenly Father didn’t hide it from them but made it clear that eating the fruit of this tree was forbidden. Genesis 2:15-17(NLT) tells us, “15 The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. 16 But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”
Our Heavenly Father didn’t mince words with Adam and his wife. God is sovereign in every way, and when He says something, that’s the definitive authority on the subject. Nothing more needs to be said. In other words, God says what He means, and He means what He says. His Word is true! It is everlasting, immutable, and infallible. Adam and Eve did not have inferior minds. Just the opposite. Again, they were perfect in every way, and because there were no impurities in their blood, they had no deficiencies, illnesses, or diseases. The first couple understood God’s omnipotence and omniscience, because He walked with them daily. The Bible doesn’t tell us the time span between their creation and their fall, but one can surmise that they walked with God long enough to understand and know Him intimately.
Adam and Eve show us in vibrant technicolor that there must be a response to God’s Word and goodness from us. God is the King of Heaven, and He has created us to be His spiritual children. We have an inheritance in our Father’s Kingdom and our purpose for being is anchored in the richness of His goodness. Because of the accomplishment of Jesus Christ, we can get right what Adam and Eve got terribly wrong. Because of Christ, we have God’s seed, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and we can reject their actions of betrayal and disobedience against the One True Living God.
We were not an afterthought in the brilliant mind of God, but inheritors of His matchless and powerful Kingdom from the very beginning. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 25:34(NLT), “Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.” So, our response to God’s Word must be one that equals the divine and vast wealth of our inheritance as His children. We must behave as if we know who He is and who we are through Him. Our response must be one of gratitude and faith in God and in His matchless Word. So, our obedience to God is a testament that we understand our identity as brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ and children of God’s light.
Our culture, thought-life, attitude, and demeanor must represent the place of our origin, which is the Kingdom of God. 2Corinthians 5:20(NLT) cements the mission of us Kingdom dwellers who are born within this earthly domain. It says, “So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”” The mission of an ambassador on foreign soil is to be an official representative of his or her homeland and further its diplomatic efforts. As God’s children, we are ambassadors for Christ and represent God’s Kingdom on earth to those who dwell within the earth. We are expanding God’s Kingdom as He makes His appeal through us to others. He wants them to remember who they are and come back to Him so that they, too, may share in the bounty of His Kingdom.
Again, our Heavenly Father is a sovereign God. His power, authority, and rule are absolute. He is the Leader of all the universe, of all that exists. We are the followers. 1John 3:1(ESV) says, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” No matter our age, we will always be children, and Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us that we should not lean on our own understanding but trust in God with all our hearts, because He is the One that directs our paths. We can’t do anything without Him, and this truth is foundational for us. Jesus Christ said in John 15:5(NLT), “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”
Society teaches that self-effort, self-indulgence, and self-self-importance are the way to approach life. God teaches the complete opposite. He teaches us that humility, selflessness, and reliance on Him is the way to a rich and satisfying life. Society teaches that we are the authors of our destinies, but this is not the truth. God is our Creator, and He is the author our destinies. Only He knows where we’re supposed to be, when we’re supposed to be there, and how to get us there. Jesus Christ commands us in Matthew 6:33(ESV), “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” We should never try to take matters into our own hands. We must seek God first in all things. When we do this, Jesus Christ tells us that God will take care of us and supply all our needs. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
"Seeking the Kingdom of God First", written for victoryinjesuschrist.life. Copyright© 2024. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
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