When Adam and Eve walked in the Garden of Eden "in the cool of the evening with the Lord" perhaps God wasn't able to communicate to them how much He loved them and how much they brought Him joy. Maybe the love just didn't go deep enough between God and His children? Maybe Adam and Eve didn't really believe God loved them unconditionally? So they fell in direct rebellion to their Father and ate from the tree He told them not to eat from. But why was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil there to begin with? Could it be that through that tree existing, and through mankind falling into sin and its consequences was God's opportunity to finally consummate His truest love to His children? I think it fitting that Jesus died on a "tree" it is said...it was as if God was saying--and will never stop saying through His Son Jesus and the sacrifice that He made--"MY choice (the Father's choice) in Jesus and the redemption His blood brings trumps YOUR bad choice, my children. I am saying once and for all that tree that you ate from and died, will now become a tree of everlasting life in My Son because of the blood He shed upon the cross in sacrificial love for all of YOU." Our bad choice in the Garden, opened up the way and the need for a Savior and opened up our knowledge of God's grace -and I think His beautiful, mysterious GRACE is something He spends a lot of time delighting in and pondering the beauty of. I think this is something the Lord really wants His children to know about Him. When God finishes telling a story there is always the taste and essence of grace and redemption lingering.
Matthew 5:14-16
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
I remind myself daily of Your faithfulness, Lord. That You have always met my needs according to Your riches in Christ. That You've always provided the grace I've needed to walk through every step in my life. I thank You that You make it clear if I am ever not walking in Your will because of the lack of grace around the things I may be trying to do that aren't of you. I thank You God that like a compass Your grace always pulls me back toward You and Your will for me. I thank You, Father, that as long as I am walking with You, there will always be more than enough grace for the season I am in and that the safest place for me to be is within Your will. I look back at my life and the times that were the worst and the most painful and filled with despair were mainly the result of walking away from You or from sin that was in my life. I thank You Lord that in walking step by step with You there are great, amazing, miraculous rewards. When I am in Your will, Abba, I have awesome favor and protection in Your Name. What a beautiful thing to walk with God. There is no other way to do life if you want true peace, joy and freedom.