It’s not love without a choice.
(Genesis 3:1-24; Matthew 4: 1-10; 1 John 5:3; John 14:15)
Happy New Year! I was listening to a podcast recently, and the host mentioned the massive theological question: if God wanted Adam and Eve to be obedient to Him, why did He even create the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden? Is God so sadistic that He plants traps and waits for us to fall into them? I mean, He knows everything even before we do it right? Scripture is clear that we cannot blame God for temptation; instead, we must look within our own sinful hearts (James 1:13-14). If God was not lying in wait for Adam and Eve to sin, why was the option left open? And why was the serpent even allowed in the Garden?
In order to answer these questions, consider others. Why was Satan allowed to tempt Job with unimaginable loss? Why was Jesus himself led into the wilderness for the sole purpose of being tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-2)? And why do you and Ilef face countless temptations each and every day? I don’t pretend to understand all the mysteries of God, but the podcast host offered a suggestion that blessed and convicted me deeply.
What if the answer is love?
Think about it. The God of the universe, all-knowing and sovereign above all, left His most precious creation with the free will to choose. He gave to Adam and Eve what He offers to each of us- the opportunity to make up our minds to obey Him from a place of love and not oppression. I’m sure God thought the decision would be a no-brainer. They could literally eat from EVERY other tree except one. Surely it would be easy for them to honor their Creator’s only request. Surely it should be easy for us…However, our sinful heart’s every inclination from birth is to please ourselves (Genesis 6:5; 9:21) with little consideration for God. Time after time, God waits to see if we will use our free will to choose Him, to love Him. There are glimpses throughout the Bible of unique moments when people modeled lives full of love and devotion to the Father, but none quite like Jesus. The only sinless man, Jesus shows us what it is to let love for the Father dictate our actions. Even at the crossroads between life and death, love drove him to say “not my will but yours be done.” And God doesn’t ask us to do anything He didn’t initiate. Whereas His hatred for sin should eternally separate us from His presence, each breath we breathe is a reminder that He chose love. More than that, we know what love is because the Father gave His only, perfect son to right the wrong that sin created.
What does it look like for each of us to truly love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind? It looks like a million little moments of choice. It looks like intentionally prioritizing the will of God over the desires of the flesh. It looks like accepting a new identity as a living sacrifice. When God made the choice between separation and relationship, He chose a relationship with you and me. What will you choose?
Will you love Him for real this year? Join me as we live a life that says “God, I love You more”.
Praying for you always,
Mikaela
