I was created to walk with God in the Garden in the cool of the day

I was created to walk with God in the garden in the cool of the day.

When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Genesis 3:8

You and I were created to walk with God in the garden in the cool of the day.

Can you imagine what it was like for our first parents to be in the garden where they could hear their creator walking about?

How cool would that have been?

To BE WITH GOD in the garden – the one who had created you, playing with the animals he created and got you to name.

I’m talking – of course – before they ate the fruit, before they broke the only rule they had, before they shattered their Father’s all-knowing heart.

I was the only grandchild my grandmother ever spanked.

It wasn’t an abusive situation. I was shocked that it didn’t really hurt. I knew what I did had deserved it.

Every year my mom sent me to grandma’s for a week. It was sweet. She never had a bedtime for me. She’d be up at the crack of dawn making waffles with fresh cream and fresh-picked raspberries. She never had to call me for breakfast, I’d be there…and probably asleep a little earlier the next night.

One day I was walking in her garden, helping myself to raspberries and enjoying the summer day. For some reason I went through the fence gate. I probably bounced the dog’s ball over, went through the gate, threw the ball back to the dog and did some exploring.

I heard her call for me. But I was somewhere I knew I shouldn’t have been. I was on the other side of the fence. I guess that’s what made me not respond. Instead I hid myself.

She called and she called and she called. It was when her voice got scared that I got really scared. I had never heard my grandmother’s voice scared.

The neighbour came over to help her look. I had to make sure he didn’t find me. It wasn’t long before the police showed up. That’s when I knew I could not be found where I was.

I hatched a plan. If I could sneak back into the house and pretend to be sleeping, I couldn’t get in trouble for that, could I?

Well, the police were surprisingly easy to sneak by and I got into the house and down the hallway to the bedroom.

That’s when she found me.

That’s when I lied.

That’s when I had to apologize to the police officers and the neighbour. I don’t think I apologized to my grandma at that point.

She sent me to the room and I had to await my punishment…for the bold-faced lie.

So I can imagine a little bit how our first parents felt. They had everything and didn’t know how good they had it. They messed up and didn’t know how bad they did it.

But I’m like them…and I want to once again walk with God in the garden in the cool of the day.

I’m so glad He wants to walk with us too.

You can do it everyday. My goal is to do it all day everyday. He’s already always with me. I want to be aware of that and be with Him.

Do you need the training, tools, coaching and community to walk with God in the garden in the cool of the day? Discover more https://revtrev.com/coaching

Sin came into the world and I bore the consequences. 

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

We know what we were created for…at least it feels like walking with God in the garden in the cool of the day is so true we want to get back to it.

But we also realize it’s not our reality. 

It’s not just that our first parents sinned and we bore the consequences of that.  Just like I lied to my grandma, I know I did worse to a lot more people. 

Sin stains are real. Sin stains everything.  

When we break one part of the law, we break the law. 

It’s not a mistake. It’s not an “oops”. It’s not a “nobody’s perfect and God will forgive”. 

It’s sin. 

And sin has consequences. Sin removes us from a holy God. 

Sin can’t be in the same place as holiness. 

We’re lost.  We can’t get clean by ourself. 

But God’s free gift if based on what Jesus did for us… 

Jesus came and reversed the curse 

  But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” Galatians 3:13

What Jesus did was to reverse the curse. “Who can curse who God has blessed?” was the question Balaam asked the people who were paying him to curse the people of God. Because Jesus came and lived a sinless life and died a sinner’s death and rose again to prove He’s God. 

He took the curse of sin upon himself so we can have God’s blessing on us. 

Everything changed at the cross. 

• Guilt was removed (Justification). Romans 3:23-24
• The price of sin was paid (Redemption). Romans 3:25
• Our sins were washed (Propitiation). 1 Corinthians 6:11
• We were made friends again with God (Reconciliation). 2 Corinthians 5:19
• We are no longer fallen (Identification). Ephesians 2:4-6
• Satan’s Rule Was Ended (Reclamation). Colossians 2:15
• The curse of the law was canceled (Expiation). Galatians 3:13

Everything changed at the cross.

and took my place

He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds. Titus 2:14

According to the Scriptures, sin must be paid for (Romans 6:23; 1 Peter 1:18, 19). When Jesus Christ died, he suffered as a substitute in the place of and on behalf of fallen humanity. 

Christ’s death made it possible for men and women to be declared righteous, based on their faith in Him (Matthew 20:28; Romans 3:21; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Christ’s death was not merely a statement against evil or an expression of love, but a payment that satisfied God’s demand.  

God, who is rich in mercy, sent Jesus Christ to die in our place, so that He might be righteous in dealing with sin while at the same time providing His own righteousness to those who believe in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:23–26). 

Christ’s death was more than an attempt to reverse the human course started by Adam; it served as a substitute payment for the trespasses of all humankind.

 and invited me to take his yoke that is easy and his burden that is light. 

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Living with His light yoke needs to be our goal. Too often in modern western Christianity we equate busy-ness with spirituality. We act as if God care more about what we do than He cares about who we are or how we love. 

Don’t think it’s not you. 

If it’s not, you can stop reading now. 

If you agree that can be you at times, and you truly want to learn to live LIGHT – check out what can be done with the coaching options I have available https://revtrev.com/coaching 

You are a living light. Will you #liveLIGHT?