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Sing to the Lord a new songMonday, December 8, 2008
Genesis 3:11-13 He answered, "I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid myself." The Lord asked Adam, "Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten, then, from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!" The man replied, "The woman whom you put here with me she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it." The Lord God then asked the woman, "Why did you do such a thing?" The woman answered, "The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it."
Ephesians 1:3-5 My excuses for wearing my own frail fig leaves must wear thin. Blaming whoever is most available for my own choices - so many sinful - must violate God's holiness deeply. He didn't make his children to do these things. He knows how much we are loved; God never questions the depth and quality of his love for us. The wedding ceremony includes beautiful words of commitment as the bride and groom give each other rings: "With all that I am and all that I have, I honor you." This "all" includes my humility, my acceptance of responsibility, my willingness to give and give and give. God's constant love empowers my own giving. Without that I'm lost in the wilderness, settling for the knowledge between good and evil but unable to consistently choose the good. God knows my problem. He never leaves me, never forsakes me. He holds me responsible but doesn't blame me. And then Jesus leads me home. The ring you put on my finger, Lord, dazzles my eyes and fills me with energy I have never known. Now I belong to you and you to me. Behold all the world that you have made. It is so good. |