Devotional for December 6th
So the Lord God drove the man out of the Garden of Eden to work the ground he had been made out of.
Genesis 3:23
PAUSE: God loved His children, Adam and Eve, very much. They lived in the garden that God created for them called the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were in perfect relationship with God. God gave them one rule, “Do not eat fruit from the tree of good and evil.” The enemy, Satan, didn’t want Adam and Eve to be in perfect relationship with God. So he disguised himself as a snake and tricked Eve into doubting the loving command God had given. Eve listened to Satan’s lie and ate the fruit. Then Eve gave Adam the fruit and he ate it as well. When God came into the garden, both Adam and Eve hid because they were naked and ashamed.
God calls anything we do in disobedience to His commands a sin. And because God is completely good, sin cannot be near Him. Therefore, Adam and Eve’s sin separated them from God. Adam and Eve, no longer perfect, could not live in the garden with God. They would have to leave and ultimately the payment for their sin was death. BUT, this is not the end of the story. God promised that he would send a Savior (Jesus) to the world to destroy Satan and save us from our own death, by dying on a cross himself. And through Jesus we can once again be near to God..
PRAY: Thank you God for being forgiving and kind. Thank you for loving me unconditionally and sending Jesus to pay for my sins. Guide me in obedience today.
FAMILY ACTIVITY: Draw a target. Try to toss an object and hit the target every time. When you miss, explain to your family how missing the target is like sin: “missing the mark” of God’s holiness. Explain that everyone (even them) was born a sinner. Explain that we will always miss the mark on God’s holiness, but Jesus gives us forgiveness and allows us our imperfect shot to hit the bullseye and be near to God.
