To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’
“Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat food from it
all the days of your life.
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.” Genesis 3:17-19
Dust. It sticks to the furniture. You kick some of it when you walk and drag some back home. It’s nothing. It’s just dust.
Man is just that, dust. As God says in his word, we were from dust. We came from nothing but the God of this spectacular world took nothing and made man out of it. He had great plans for this Nothing. In fact, God created the world so that Nothing can enjoy it to the fullest. Nothing can have all the food he can eat. Sit and gaze at the stars at night. Nothing was even given the task to name all the animals, birds, and all living creatures. God also gave Nothing another Nothing, to be a helpmate in managing the creation.
Unfortunately, we all know what happened to this seemingly happy ending. Satan came to test and tempt the woman. The woman was unsure of God so she believed Satan’s lies and gave in to temptation. Then she tempted man to sin too and both of them gave in and fell.
What was the sin of the woman? “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:5 That was the lure of Satan, to be like God. Pride crept quickly in the woman’s heart.
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” Genesis 3:6
Thousands of years after the fall, the prideful heart of man is still evident in our lives. Somehow there is sense of fulfillment whenever we accomplish something great for ourselves, our family or even for his country. I am not downplaying striving to do your best, or working hard. I’m simply reminding man, myself even, that ALL that we have accomplished in life is all because of God’s grace.
Steve Jobs became one of the greatest innovators in his time. His ideas, his concepts, his thoughts influence our lives today. Yes, he was a brilliant man, a genius even to some. But let’s not forget who gave him such canny ideas. While he was yet to be formed in his mother’s womb, God already knew what he would become. Why? Because it was the Lord God Almighty who implanted those brain cells in Jobs’ head. God personally wired his brain differently so he could come up with those i’s.
The sad thing about it though, some men (and women) tend to look at themselves in such awe for accomplishing much in this world. They attribute success to their own hard work and their own skills. They forget to acknowledge the One who allowed all such awards and citations to be given to them. We must remember that aside from the gifts God has so generously given each and every one of his creation, he also set us in certain jobs, places, and positions in life.
So, before we be like Eve who wanted to be like God, let’s check ourselves. Let not all your medals, awards, plaques, adulation or even popularity put heaping coals on your head. Remember to bow down to the Creator who made it all happen for you. God has so numbered our days here on earth. He gave us life, from dust, and he will take it away to be dust again. Give thanks with a grateful heart! 🙂
When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. Deuteronomy 8:10-18