God Rules
And the Lord God commanded the man saying,”Of every tree of the garden, you may freely eat; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.” Gen. 2:16-17 (NASB)
As stated last time, God allows us to rule over creation. Yet we cannot rule over Him, God is the ultimate ruler. Also, as stated last time, we must submit to His rules, His authority or suffer the consequences.
When I was younger, I tended to look at church, with all it’s rules and regulations as “the no fun zone.” I didn’t understand that God’s rules, His commandments, were given to us to keep us safe, to keep us healthy and happy and in total communion with Himself. Just as I tell my children,”Look both ways before crossing the street,”or “Brush your teeth after every meal,” to keep them safe and healthy.
Our hedge of protection is built first with obedience (1 Sam. 15:22). If all we do is “praise” God or “worship” God, but have no “fruit” to show with it, then guess what, it ain’t real! As James would say, that’s a “dead faith”. Obedience to God is not optional, if we are His child. We must not look at sin as the “fun” thing. That’s a very hard thing to do in today’s society, but we must trust God and the rules He’s given us, to keep us from the danger and destruction of sin.
Secondly, our hedge of protection, is built with faith. We can say we have faith all day long but how is that faith manifested? I must act upon God’s promises, believe He is who He says He is, and act like it. It’s a life-style. This is how we co-operate with His grace; we choose to! Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, before the “Fall”; before the inclination to sin was present in them. Once they sinned, their hedge of protection was gone (in the fullest sense). Their protection now was in the form of a restoration process, through obedience. Today it’s still the same.
If I think I can live, do, say, think or act any old way I want to and be a Christian, then I am a fool! As Paul would ask,”Who has bewitched you?” (Gal.3:1). Ever wonder why people won’t go to church with you? Could it be they do not see the power of the gospel, lived out in your life?
So in His image and likeness we know good and evil (Gen. 3:22). Let us choose God in obedience and faith, bringing glory and honor to our Father in heaven and being a light to this dark world.
