The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’” Genesis 3:2-3 HCSB
My wife and I taught each of our four children that some things were dangerous for them and should be avoided. For example, “Do not play in the street because you could get hit by a car”, “Do not play with the electrical plugs because you might get electrocuted”, and “Do not play with knives because you could get cut.” The list could be exhaustive, but the point is that we made rules because we loved our children and did not want them to sustain injury. We wanted the best for them.
God wants the best for each of us. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “God has a plan for our lives, a plan to prosper us and not to harm us.” His plan from the very beginning of time was to spend time with His creation and provide for every need but also to protect us from things that would harm us. God told Adam and Eve to avoid the tree in the middle of the garden. He knew that the tree of knowledge of good and evil would bring separation, pain, and even death to Adam and Eve. On the other hand, God provided all the other trees of the garden to take care of every need that Adam and Eve might have.
Challenge: God’s laws are designed to help us live an abundant life; a life that brings honor and glory to Him. God has provided everything you need. Trust Him with your future. Pray for God to reveal His perfect plan for your life and to help you to resist the smooth talking schemes by which Satan will tempt you.