God's Way or Man's Way

by Dewayne Griffin

Do you ever go back to the Garden of Eden and think how it would be today if sin had not come into the world? God the Father created this wonderfully perfect place and put man in the very middle of it to be in charge. Genesis 2:9 tells us that out of the ground, the Lord made every tree grow that was pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden and the tree of good and evil.

The job description for Adam was not all that difficult. He was to tend the garden and keep it. It must have been a great assignment, especially because he did not have to worry about weeding, watering or being troubled by insects. He was given one specific command by the Lord, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 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." Genesis 2:16-17. One would think that following that simple command would be very easy. However, we need to be cautious before we are too critical of Adam and Eve. The Bible is filled with directives about how we should live our lives, but often we choose to do things our way; rather than God's way.

When the Lord saw that it was not good for Adam to be alone, He said that He would make him a helper comparable to him, Genesis 2:18; again, showing the perfectness of God. Our God knows our every need and supplies every necessity, if we will just allow Him to have His way with us.

In chapter 3 of Genesis, we are told about the serpent and how he was more cunning than any of the beasts of the field which the Lord God had made. Using his cunning charm, the serpent talks to Eve about what she could eat and what she could not eat of the garden. In verse 2 of Genesis chapter 3, she tells the serpent, "We may eat of 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.'" Notice that God had instructed Adam and Eve not to eat of the fruit and not even touch it. We need to adopt that lesson in our lives today. When we see sin, we need to immediately turn away from it and avoid it at any cost.

We are all very familiar with the ending of this biblical account. Man wanted to be on the same level as God and chose to do it his way, rather than God's way. Therefore, sin came into the garden and since that time nothing has ever been the same. Man was removed from a perfect place and put in a place of imperfection. Today, we are still paying the price for that sin that happened many years ago.

It is impossible for us to go back to the Garden of Eden and its perfect state. However, it is possible for us to spend eternity in a far better place. Reading from Revelation 21:1-4, we are told of a new heaven and a new earth; the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. In that place God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.

It is sure that we will spend eternity either in heaven with God and all the saved or in hell with the devil and the lost. Plan now, before it is too late.

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