Read God’s curse on the serpent and on Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:14-19.
Did God abandon His disobedient children? What ray of hope do you see?
God, you did not abandon Adam and Eve. You gave them clothes to protect them. Forgive me, Lord, but it is not apparent from reading these verses what the ray of hope is. I pray that the Holy Spirit will enlighten me.
New Testament Connection: The apostle John borrowed language and imagery from the Creation story to begin his gospel. Read John 1:1-14. What new creation is he describing?
The new creation is children of God through Jesus Christ. Adam and Eve were creation of dust, made in the image of God. They were creations, like a family of artists who mold replicas of themselves. Adam and Eve were not actual children of God. However, through Jesus Christ, we become adoptive sons and daughters of God – this is entirely new. The Eucharist, then, is key to being a part of Christ. Without the Eucharist, Christians would not be a part of Christ, just like my hand would wither and break off if it no longer received blood and nutrients from my body. The Eucharist, then, is the blood and nutrient that keeps me as a part of Christ’s body. Just as my hand is a part of my body and I am my father’s son, so am I a part of Christ and Christ is God’s only son.
What are some ways we hide from the presence of God? How does sin drive us further from His presence?
Dear Lord, I hide from you when I want to sin. I don’t want you around because I don’t want you to know what I’m doing. It’s silly since you’re omniscient, but that’s why I refused to believe in you for a long time. I could hide from my parents, but I could never hide from you. That scared me. It’s like I had no privacy.
So, I hid from you in my early years by not believing in your existence. Even now that I believe that you are my Savior and Lord, I still try to hide by not praying, by avoiding eye contact with religious artifacts around the house, by drowning myself in entertainment.
When I refuse or forget to pray, I leave myself vulnerable to temptation. When I do pray, the Holy Spirit saves me from my own weakness. When I sin, I feel so guilty that I don’t want to pray, I don’t want to talk to you, which makes me even more vulnerable to more sin. It is so important for me to believe in the greatness of your mercy. If I did not believe in your mercy, if I did not know that your mercy is greater than any sin I can ever commit, then I would never have the courage to reconcile with you. I would never have the courage to come to you in repentance.
Dear Holy Spirit, I’ve come a long way from my days wandering in the desert of atheism. In my early days in the faith, you were like Hosea, coming back for me even after I left you to prostitute my soul to the world. By your grace, I’m stronger, now. I see that I am nothing without you. Please don’t leave me. Help me pray when I’m close to temptation. Help me cling to you! I need you and cannot stay in the body of Christ without you.