Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Genesis 3:8-15
I Am My Father’s Child
Daily Devotion – June 13, 2018
Devotion based on Genesis 3:8-15
See series: Devotions
Sadly, I am my father’s child.
When my first father, Adam, heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden, he didn’t run to greet his loving Creator to spend quality time and perfect fellowship with him. Instead Adam ran and hid among the trees. It’s quite silly, really—running and hiding from the Almighty! But that’s what sinful people do. They do foolish things. When Adam was confronted with his sin, he tried deflecting. He tried making excuses. He tried shifting blame. That was foolish.
I do that too; too often. When confronted with my sin I try to deflect the discussion to something else, something that isn’t the heart of the matter. I try to make excuses to justify my behavior, or at least make it a bit more understandable and therefore reasonable. When this fails, I try to shift the blame to someone else. Then, over time, shifting blame becomes a first resort rather than a last resort. Yes, they are quite silly—my foolish attempts to hide from the Almighty!
Thankfully, I am my Father’s child.
When the Lord God had exposed the wretched state of his first children, he went on to address the serpent. God pronounced a curse upon the serpent, and along with this curse he proclaimed a wonderful promise. One of the woman’s offspring—a Savior—would come. He would crush the devil. He would restore what had been broken. Centuries later that promise was fulfilled in Jesus.
Now, by the grace of God and by the working of the Holy Spirit, I am a child of God. No longer estranged. Not disowned. Never abandoned. Having been freed from foolishness, I have been embraced. I am loved. I am forgiven. And I can walk with my Lord God in the morning, at mid-day, in the cool of the day—in peace and living hope.
Dear friend in Jesus, acknowledge that you are a child of the fall, and confess that you too often want others to take the fall for your transgressions. Then, rejoice that you are a child of the promise, and live as a redeemed, restored, forgiven child of your Father in heaven.
Prayer:
O Lord, help me remember, today and every day, that I am my Heavenly Father’s child. Amen.
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