4 January | EVERYONE
"And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’" Genesis 3: 2,3
Seduction and deception—the two favorite weapons of God's enemy. He used them successfully throughout history and continues to use them today. He did not introduce himself to Eve saying that he was there to destroy her. He camouflaged himself. He appeared as a serpent and told her that he only wanted to talk about what God had said. He questioned the divine word and led her into the swampy terrain of doubt.
After undermining Eve's trust in God's word, he led her to disobedience. "Take a bite of the fruit. Do not worry, nothing bad is going to happen to you. Eating a fruit is not morally wrong. God is so busy in the vast universe that He does not have time to worry about such a tiny detail."
Apparently, he seemed to be right. It was only some fruit; but what was at stake was not the fruit itself; it was faithfulness to God, the Source of life. It is quite easy for human beings to get distracted by external things and forget about the deep reality of the unseen.
In the great conflict of the ages, the enemy will repeat the same strategy over and over again. It will lead humanity to think that God cannot be worried with "tiny details," while what is at stake is the need to remain united to our Creator.
"After the enemy had betrayed Adam and Eve into sin, the connection between heaven and earth was severed, and had it not been for Christ, the way to heaven would never have been known by the fallen race" (Ellen G. White, That I May Know Him, p. 82).
Eve's sin was not simply eating the fruit that God had told her not to eat. That was the consequence of her real sin, which was to turn away from God and approach that tree. It is dangerous to play with temptation!
Take Action
What are the motivations for your actions and attitudes? Identify your weak points and, above all, look to Jesus. His grace and power will transform you. Sing "The Fruit of the Tree" (if possible, with your family).