“Where Are You?”

But the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.” The LORD God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pangs in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” And to the man he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Genesis 3:9-19

According to a career-building web site, certain words should be avoided on the job. If someone asks you to do a job, avoid saying, “sure, no problem,” and then not do the job. Also, you shouldn’t say, “not my job,” because you may need that person’s help in the future. And don’t blame someone else, because that is the excuse Adam and Eve gave to God. Accept full responsibility, and take your punishment.

Maybe there are things we should avoid saying to God about what He’s told us to do or not to do. He gives us specific instructions for Christ like behavior and yet there are times when we tell God that’s not our gift, or we just don’t feel convicted to do something.

What is the LORD asking of you today? How will you respond? How about, “Yes, Lord!”

The highest motive for obeying God is the desire to please Him.

Our Daily Bread – March 9, 2009