Today’s power scripture comes from Genesis
3:12: “The man said, “The woman whom you
gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”(ESV)
When
questioned by God about his whereabouts and whether he had eaten of the fruit
of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam quickly threw Eve under the Eden
bus. Although he was the head of the
household and responsible for the dwelling place that God had provided for him,
Adam did not step up to the plate in many ways.
In my opinion he first failed in that he should have been more in tune
with his wife and stopped all that unnecessary banter between her and the cunning
snake. Not that she couldn’t have her
own space and quiet reflection time in the garden, but even now in our
sin-state, many of us pick up on vibes of when our loved ones are in
trouble. So I am sure that before the
‘fall’ of Adam, he should have been keenly aware of Eve and her well-being.
Secondly the text tells us that Eve ate of the
fruit first and then gave it to Adam.
Adam could have nipped this whole ‘fall-of-man’ thing in the bud if he
had ‘manned up’ and put his foot down and not taken the bait. He might have been able to take Eve before
God for forgiveness and we could all now be running through the Emerald City
naked as jaybirds with no worries or cares. But nooooooooo! Adam not only ate
but then he tried to hide. He lost his
head. How could he so foolishly think that he could hide from the all-mighty, all-seeing
and all-knowing God? Finally, when asked about his situation he
pushed the blame onto Eve, the one who only a few verses back he was to cleave
to and become as one. He even had the nerve to hint that God was at fault for
giving him this woman. Instead of
stepping forward and owning up to his mistake he took two steps back and left
her standing there with her fig leaves blowing in the wind. Let us take a lesson from this example and
take responsibility for our actions. I
wonder if God, who is so apt to forgive us of all of our sins, was more
disappointed in Adam’s failure to keep his commandment about the consumption of
the fruit or about Adam’s betrayal by his lying and scheming? Let us be upfront and honest with ourselves,
with others and most of all with God.
When we have fallen short; messed up; bitten off more than we can chew;
or just plain blown it – ‘fess up and own up.
The mature Christian knows that mistakes happen and can only be
rectified when we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us. Don’t dig a deeper hole by lying or trying to
cover it up. There is no shame in
failing only in blaming others and not owning up to the process. We often learn best and remember the most
from the things we don’t get quite right.
Don’t worry…own up!
Every day is
a good day it is up to us to make it a GREAT power-filled day. Be blessed! Dr. JoAnn
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