Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3:13 NIV
My heart aches for Eve in this moment. I know how she feels, I’ve experienced that moment in time when I realize I’ve been deceived. Eve has just realized the mistake she has made. She has been living in the garden with Adam, life has been amazing as they’ve lived their days in the lap of God’s luxurious blessing. Then one day Satan started whispering in her ear, in the form of a serpent. “You can eat from that tree. What does God know? He’s trying to keep you from having fun? One bite won’t hurt?” Slowly Eve begins to believe the serpent’s lies. She begins to think she deserves to eat of the forbidden fruit. She has a right to taste of it’s delicious nectar. God wouldn’t deny her one bite. She begins to believe that she knows more than God does, especially about her own life. I’ve fallen for the same lies.
I’ve believed that I was deserving of a blessing God didn’t intend for me to have. I’ve believed that God doesn’t want me to have fun like the rest of the world. I’ve listened to the lies that Satan whispers, “Just one bite won’t hurt you.” My battle with weight loss is a perfect example of falling for lies. I’ve had a bad day, things didn’t go the way I expected, I deserve that piece of cake. But the cake isn’t going to solve my problems, it’s only going to make it worse. Just like eating the fruit changed everything for Adam and Eve. God has given us so much, yet we deceive ourselves into thinking we need more. We think we deserve everything, when in reality, we deserve nothing.
We think we deserve everything, when in reality, we deserve nothing.
Deserve means “to merit, to be worthy of.” When we decide we deserve something, we’re making a decision that is truly God’s to make. The sadness in this thought process, we’re selling ourselves short when we make that decision. Adam and Eve were living in the lap of luxury in the Garden of Eden, yet it wasn’t enough for them. They thought they needed more, they thought they deserved it all. In hindsight, I bet they wish they hadn’t taken that bite. I know, I’ve regretted the bite I’ve taken that I shouldn’t have. But there is hope, God’s grace is there for us in our darkest moments. God was there to clothe Adam and Eve in their sin, with His love and grace. He’ll do the same for us, once we follow Eve’s example and say, “I was deceived.”
Question of the Day:
Is there an area of your life where you have been deceived that you need God’s love to pour into today?
Further Reading: Genesis 3:1-4:26 NIV, Matthew 2:13-3:6 NIV, Psalm 2:1-12 NIV, Proverbs 1:7-9 NIV
