God’s perfect plan, how man messed it up, and how God put the pieces back together

Being reconciled with the God of the Universe

The Lord made a beautiful, perfect world and placed Adam and Eve in the garden. Every evening God walked with them and they enjoyed fellowship together. He put Adam in charge of naming the animals and caring for his environment. Everything was theirs to enjoy.  The Lord gave only one rule…”Don’t eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

One day the devil came to Eve in the body of a snake and lied to Eve. He made her doubt God’s goodness. He made her think God was trying to keep something good from her. Instead of her staying far from the tree, she drew near. She looked at the fruit, she touched it, then she ate it and gave it to Adam to also eat. Immediately their purity was gone. They had disobeyed God and sinned. Their relationship with God was broken. At that point, they spiritually died and they were overcome with shame. They tried to hide from God and cover themselves. When God confronted them, Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the snake. We can choose our sin, but we can’t choose our consequences. Because the Lord is holy, there has to be a  payment for sin. God cursed the snake and told him humans would be his enemy and He would put a spiritual barrier between Satan’s people and God’s people. Satan would bruise Jesus, God’s son, but Jesus would deliver the death blow to Satan. To Eve God said she would have pain in childbirth. God told Adam that because of his sin the ground would be cursed and he would contend with thorns and thistles.  This is the point in time where the first blood was shed and something living, beautiful and precious had to die. The Lord had to kill an animal to make skins for Adam and Eve to hide their nakedness. Because the tree of life was in the garden and to prevent Adam and Eve from eating of that tree and be forever in their sinful state, God had to ban them from the garden. Pretty sad, huh? (This information is found in the first 3 chapters of the Bible- Genesis 1-3) But there is good news!  God already had His plan to fix this in place. He would send a Savior to redeem the human race. It would cost Him everything, but He would make a way to restore fellowship with the human race. So here’s the Good News…

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16,17)

Jesus was born as a baby, lived a perfect life, and then let men crucify Him on a cross to pay our sin debt. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. (Romans 3:23) All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him (Jesus) the sins of us all. (Isaiah 53:6) For the wages of sin in death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)  But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8) If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. (Romans 10:9,10) Repent (change your inner self- your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life), for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 3:2) For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2) God promises, But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. (1 John 1:9) For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

Listen! The LORD’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call. (Isaiah 59:1) Seek the LORD while you can find Him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously. “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD.  “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:6-9)

According to the Bible there is only one way we can be reconciled to God.

• By believing Jesus is the Son of God who came to pay our sin debt with His life, was buried and raised from death to life after 3 days, and admit we are guilty before God, confess our sin and turn from it.

We have a decision to make. What will it be?

• Let our pride stand between us and our Creator. Go our own way. Do our own thing. Then pay the consequences… be eternally separated from God and live a life of turmoil and then pay for our own sin debt in the lake of fire for eternity.

(Remember, we can choose our sin, but we can’t choose our consequences.)

OR

• Turn to God, confess our sin and turn from it and beg God’s forgiveness, invite Him in to clean our heart and save our soul. Spend our days with His presence and peace and then eternity with Him in heaven.

When we do the latter, we must know what Ephesians 2:8,9 says.. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  Salvation is not  a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

God has made a way.  Will you take it? Choose wisely. Your future depends on it.

Keep looking up,

Gaye Hughes Hammersley