There is usually this bitter feeling of disgust and anger when people go against your wish or instructions especially when it is for their own good. There is a dire need to look into the first disobedience the world ever encountered.
Hence, our Interesting discourse is drawn from sunday's first reading taken from Genesis 3:9-15.
Please read up and share your thoughts herein, would be glad to read through and get more rhema as well.
Most times, many of us, even Christians have a wrong perception about how God deals with sin and guilt. They think that God came looking for Adam and Eve in the garden, chewed them out, cursed everything in sight, kicked and hurled them out of the garden, screamed angrily at their backs, shoved the curses down their throats and locked the door behind them in seething anger. They view God as one who lowers the boom on guilty sinners.
Alas, that’s not the true picture of God in Genesis 3. Rather, we see God graciously seeking the guilty sinners and providing for their restoration. He promises them victory over the tempter. And even His expelling them from the garden was gracious, in that He protected them from living forever in their fallen condition.By their disobedience, they were already unfit for living in the garden but not perpetually unfit for the Kingdom. It is a chapter which gives us, as guilty sinners, great hope.
There is a question actually slicing through my conscience fa....how do we handle guilt as Christians?When you are faced with a situation of guilt, how do you react? Do you consemn yourself totally, refusing to approach the father for mercy? Do you blame others instead like Adam and Eve did in the scripture above?
The sinner’s guilt is seen in his relationships with others. Immediately Adam and Eve lost the open relationship they had enjoyed with one another (“naked and not ashamed,” 2:25). Their fig leaves picture a barrier between them, which is seen even more when God confronts Adam and he blames Eve. I can even feel the anger in his voice, he must have cursed her under his breath sef...lol (3:12). Nice guy sha! He’s trying to save his own skin, even if God zaps his wife off the face of the earth. At least Eve was nice enough to blame the serpent! But Adam’s blaming Eve did not foster their relationship
The truth is you dont feel any better inside when you blame others for your fault. You know it in your heart of hearts when you are wrong, even though you are a smooth talker- superfluous in speech, manipulative in nature, persuasive in act bla bla bla....you know it deep down when you wrong but it is hard to openly admit same.Huncle bet why?
When the Lord finds Adam, Adam admits his fear. Notice what he says (3:10): “I was afraid because I was naked.” Not, “because I sinned,” but, “because I was naked.” He had been naked every other time the Lord had walked with him in the garden, shebi he didn't realize that nothing was on him, not even pant, why the sudden realisation AFTER THE SIN?. Of course, the problem wasn’t his nakedness, but his sin. But the real problem was, and still is, it is a fearful thing to be exposed as a guilty sinner in the presence of God, but the painful part is that we hide, rotting in shame, instead of coming to God, who can deal with our sin, we run, foolishly thinking that we can hide from His omnipresent gaze.You know the funny thing- He comes after us like a lad chasing after his dame.He never tires of hearing our confession.
Our attitude towards repentance is very key.The sinner’s guilt is seen in the sinner himself. “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed [intertwined] fig leaves together and made themselves loin covering - Chapter 3 :7.
We deal with our guilt, not by hiding from Him, but by coming to Him and acknowledging our sin. Jesus said, “The one who comes to Me, I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37).
God’s question told Adam two things: “You’re lost, Adam; and, I’ve come to find you.” Every person needs to know the same two things: He is lost without Jesus Christ; and, Christ came to seek and to save those who are lost. One of my favourite scripture teacher, John Hunter, makes the point that people who do not know Jesus Christ are never called “unsaved” in the Bible. That term, merely softens the tragic reality of their condition. The opposite of saved is not unsaved; it is LOST!
The psalmist in Psalm 130, has given us every reason to come in our shame, nakedness, bareness, nothingness and guilt with these words in gold to give us boldness , "With the Lord there is mercy, in him is plentiful redemption". So what are you waiting for? What has created a barricade between you and God, what has caused a drastic decline in your fellowship with the Father? You no longer hear from God and you re comfortably languishing in ignorance, a great chasm has been used to demarcate you from your maker and you re still sitting pretty, wallowing deeper and deeper in sin.
My friend , wake up and make up!!
God is waiting........