GOD'S COMMANDMENTS

When God created the Garden of Eden on this earth, He put two fruit trees in the middle of it: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:8-9). Genesis 2:15-17 says, "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.'" God's command to Adam demonstrated God's sovereign authority over him. Although Adam has free will, he must submit to God's authority. God gave Adam the commandment not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because He was directing Adam to live according to His will. God wasn't bossing Adam around, but God was lovingly guiding Adam. Since God's commandment is based on His holy and righteous character, He establishes His commandment with specific consequences. The consequence of Adam's disobedience is death, and God is very clear about it. God gave the Garden of Eden commandment to Adam before He created Eve. There is a possibility that there is a time gap between Adam living alone and the creation of Eve. If there is a time gap, Adam faithfully obeyed God's command before Eve existed. 

God's commandments are good for us. The entire Bible consists of many of God's commandments, and there is no single commandment that leads to destroying us. They all lead to life. However, the struggle that we have is to obey God's commandments. We disobey God's commandments primarily due to our free will, which allows us to choose between following God's direction and pursuing our personal desires. When we value our personal decisions based on our own understanding, instant and temporary gratification, comfort, and people's approval over God, we disobey God. However, when we disobey God, we are no longer living according to God's will. And when this happens, we are going to reap the consequences of our disobedience. When God told us not to have other gods before Him, God is commanding us to make Him our first priority in life, for example, in our thoughts. God wants us to pray and meditate in His words before checking our phones, social media, or work emails. When we do not put God first in our thoughts, anxiety and negative thoughts and feelings consume our minds, thus, it takes away God's peace in us. 

God's commandments are not optional; they must be obeyed. If we want to experience God's peace and live in God's will, we must obey God. Let's start today. Let's live according to God's will in our attitudes and actions.

Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) Why is it important for me to obey God? What happens when I obey God? Is it difficult for me to obey God? Why or why not?

Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them up to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for your commandments. Please continue to renew my mind with your truth and change my heart to obey you. Do not let me value my personal decisions based on my own understanding, instant and temporary gratification, comfort, and people's approval over you, so that I may obey you. Please help me to make godly decisions and have a godly attitude today. In your name, Jesus, I pray, Amen.