The Choice...

Adam and Eve were born in innocence. God loved them as his precious children and enjoyed time with them in the garden. He had the heart of any parent for their child! But God had been challenged by something. Satan had accused him of demanding allegiance - of not allowing any way but his own. This is a forced relationship, and not the way of love! Certainly not God's way! But Satan was threatening the destruction of all his beautiful universe with his lies - others were believing him! His Kingdom of Love was highly at risk!!

So he gave these treasures of his an obvious choice - a choice of two trees, symbolising two very different lives. One was the Tree of Life, bringing healing and vibrant eternity to those who ate from it! This, he told them was freely available to them!! He wanted them to be nourished by it's goodness!!! It symbolised his provision of every good thing that blessed their lives. The other was the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil - and this one, he warned them to stay away from!! He even told them that if they ate of its fruit, death would be it's result!!

The choice was theirs. Live in the beautiful provision of God, who loved them deeply - which they knew, very well! Or go against that love and take control of their own lives - knowing good and evil as God knew it. Now we wonder why they made the choice they did! What awful consequences they brought upon mankind!! But here's the thing! They didn't know what evil was!! They'd never seen it!! Never felt it!! They had only ever known the beautiful life God had created for them!! And it intrigued them!! What was this thing called "evil"?? "Knowing" enticed them. And it still entices us!

But we have also learnt that "knowing" is not always a good thing. Now we know what evil is and does and is capable of! And we wish we didn't!! There are many things in this life I shut my mind against because I cannot bear to think of them. We now know "evil" - and that knowing is not a good thing.

God had given us a choice of allegiance, and we had chosen badly. And God sadly shook his head as he saw the direction we were headed. We had chosen. And we did not like what we had chosen. We felt the consequences of life beyond his nurture, and they were devastating.

But because of his great love for these errant children of his, God had a plan to bring them back under his umbrella again! He, himself, would come and be with us. He would walk the pain of this world with us! To show us that, contrary to Satan's lies, he was for us - and not against us!! He would bear the burden with us! And pay the ransom Satan demanded in order to set us free!!! Free to choose again, to be his.

There is a story I've read about a man who saw a young boy with a cage full of tiny, wild birds he had captured. The boy was beating the cage, terrifying those bewildered little creatures! The man asked the boy what he was going to do with those birds. The boy replied that he was going to mess with them for a bit and then give them to his cat to play with. The man offered to buy the birds, but the boy replied - "Mister, you don't want these birds! You can find them anywhere! They're worth nothing!" The man insisted until the boy took his money and handed over the cage. Then the man carried those birds to a safe place and gently set it down, opening the door so they could fly to freedom.

That's what God did! The door is open for you! Choose him this time!! Some things are not worth having! His love is real and pure and it's what he wants for you! His way is the way of nurture!! Choose him!!

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