“Then to Adam He said, ‘Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying “You shall not eat of it”: ‘Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return'” (Genesis 3:17-19).
Had Adam not paid attention to Eve and stuck by God’s commandment to the letter, things would be so very different. A sinless world! But there we have it – humanity is born into sin and could die in sin. With sin, there is a plethora of curses. These translate into problems, be it at micro level where the individual is concerned or at a macro level which affects society as a whole.
It is not uncommon to come across people having a rushed meal while standing up. There is sweat on their foreheads. The food is close to tasteless; the tummy just needs to be filled. Does it not fit the rebuke from God to Adam and Eve prior to their expulsion from the Garden of Eden?
Toiling is an inevitable facet of human life. There are the masses across continents who toil for the purpose of making ends meet. Then there are those who sweat it out because they are chasing an elusive dream – a seemingly better life. There will be those who claim that they are enjoying every bit of it. Really?
Sounds like a half-truth. With the need to toil comes worry. Everyone will have worries; it varies by way of form and intensity. A lot of it could have little or no basis, but it is enough to suck the joy of living out of each and every soul.
There are those who profess that their lives are devoid of whatever worries. By their outward appearance, they look convincing. Same goes for their speech and demeanor. But these folks do worry, only that they cleverly disguise it. These folks are indeed living a lie. They are not honest with themselves, and they will struggle when it comes to sincerity with others.
It is all interrelated; the stress of daily living and the never-ending torrent of worries causes deceit to flourish. Deceit can take the form of blatant trickery or, in a more subtle way, show up as an excuse. Expect nothing good to come out of broken promises. Trust is in short supply; there is cause for cynicism, which breeds contempt and ill will. When these negatives get out of hand, anger, hatred, and even violence are the end results. The case for doing good is diminished; plotting and executing evil deeds appears to be justified!
“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).
All of humanity has the propensity to commit some form of evil. The boy or girl next door that appears decent could be in the front-page news for a violent misdemeanor. Everyone is capable of performing a diabolical deed at some point in their lives. No one is immune from this tendency.
“As it is written: ‘there is none righteous, no, not one'” (Romans 3:10).
The same goes for sickness and tragedies in life; no one is immune from these negatives. These are the thorns and thistles that plague the human race. No one has any clue when these nasties will strike, but they can truly be life-altering events. Perhaps as bad as a broken promise, if not a shattered dream turned upside down into a living nightmare. They suck the joy of living, but life with whatever pleasures that go with it will indeed come to a concluding moment. Death!
This is when flesh and bones return to the dust of the ground. Does all that pain and sorrow end there? It does not look that way for the bulk of humanity. Everyone is worried about dying; it becomes a psychological issue for some. Witnessing a fatality at point-blank range could be cause for poor appetites and sleeplessness!
“For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
It is truly not a pretty picture when anyone falls short of the glory of God. Without God, there can be no relief from the heartaches, pain, and sorrow of life on earth. It does not stop when the body goes to the ground. It only gets worse, and it will stay that way for eternity!
Humanity is therefore cursed for eternity because of the action of one forefather. It is the curse that separates the human race from the loving Heavenly Father. We know it as the fallen nature. The earth is indeed a fallen planet!
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).
God is truly a loving Creator. Despite the seemingly inseparable gulf between Him and humanity, He provided an avenue for reconciliation. He did so in a way that many on this fallen planet have problems coming to terms with. But this is the Truth; He sent His only Son to die for all of humanity’s wrongdoings – past, present, and future!
The Son of God in the person of Jesus Christ did die in a manner that was seen as the worst possible through human eyes. With His Blood spilled on the woodwork of torment, He took the place of every sinner on this fallen planet. The iniquity of every human being was erased by his Precious Blood!
“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).
Because of what the Lord Jesus Christ did on Calvary, that separation from God the Father is indeed null and void, provided one believes that this is true!
Herein is an important thing for serious consideration. Are you happy living as you are in your fallen state? Does the thought of it only getting much worse in the end ever bother you?
You can only have a significant improvement in the quality of your life when there is no separation from God. The only way for this to happen is to believe in Jesus Christ. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Once He is in the driving seat, things will only get better. Challenges will be seen in a totally new light, and your joy will be complete. Make this a hundred percent commitment today!
“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).
Blessings
Edwin
Contact me at edwinuk13@gmail.com