THINK TOGETHER
How do you know the difference between right and wrong? OR, who teaches you right from wrong?
READ TOGETHER
Yesterday we read about how God gave Adam and Eve a very important choice in the Garden of Eden. In the center of the garden God planted two very different trees: the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowing Good and Evil.
If Adam and Eve chose to eat from the Tree of Life they would be obeying God and would live forever with him.
But if they chose to eat from the Tree of Knowing Good and Evil they would be disobeying God and they would be separated from God and eventually die.
Here’s how God warned them about this deadly tree. Listen for what would happen when they eat from it:
Genesis 2:17. but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.
The Tree of Knowing Good and Evil would have allowed Adam and Eve to know right from wrong. And the Bible says that Adam and Eve were tempted to eat from this forbidden tree because it would make them “like God.”
Now, here’s where this part of the story can become confusing. Doesn’t God want us to know right from wrong? Doesn’t he want us to be good and not evil? And shouldn’t we want to be like God?
But here is where we learn the most important lesson in all the Bible and in all of life. Are you ready for it? Here it is:
God wants us to learn to trust him BEFORE we can learn how to be good.
You see, the Bible isn’t a book about how to be good. It’s the story of how much God loves us and how much we need to trust his love even when we’re bad and not good. Because no matter how hard we try, or how much we know, none of us will ever be as good as God – he’s perfect. And in fact, the worst thing we can ever do is try to be good without first trusting that God loves us even when we’re bad. And we’re all bad.
And that is why Jesus came to earth! Because God loves us so much he sent his son, Jesus, to be good for us. Jesus always loved God. Jesus always loved other people. Jesus was always kind and sharing. But most importantly, Jesus always trusted God his Father.
And so now we have a choice to make just like Adam and Eve – will we first try to be good on our own for selfish reasons like to avoid being punished or so that people will like us? Or will we first choose to trust that Jesus already loves us no matter what, and then, second, we can be good because we love him too?
Because of Jesus even when I am not good I am loved by God.
With Jesus I can be good because I am loved by God.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Make a card or sign to help you remember this order: 1. Trust God’s love. 2. Be good.
Here’s mine:
Then listen to this song together.
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus,
Thank you for loving me even when I’m not good. Help me to be good because you love me, and not because I am afraid or want to show off.
Amen.
***
To see today’s post from the TLIC Daily blog –> Click Here
TLICfamily 