In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. He created all the creatures of the sea and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground. He created a Garden on the earth, a special place unlike any other, a paradise. God also created man and woman in His own image, and He placed the man and the woman in the Garden. And God saw that it was good.
He did not place the man and the woman in a 3 bedroom rambler in the valley for $614,000 with 20% down and carrying the remaining $491,686 at 3.7% fix rate 30 year mortgage.
God could have, but He didn’t.
Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the creatures of the sea and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground, everything that has the breath of life in it, I give every green plant for food." And God saw it was very good.
He did not tell the man and woman that they must leave the Garden by dusk, or that "open" spaces would close.
He could have, but He didn’t.
Now the serpent was craftier than any of the animals the Lord God had made, and the serpent sure as hell did not want the man and woman enjoying all the bounty which God had created just for them. So, that crafty serpent formed a committee filled with slithering lawyers to issue an edict which read...
God is an absentee landlord and We, the duly and lawfully appointed committee, are now in charge. Furthermore, We have annexed the Garden and declared it to be a "Park", not a garden at all. Henceforth, the man and the woman shall not be allowed to reside in the Park.
God could have done any of these things, but He didn’t.
The serpents went on to include the following...
The man and the woman shall not engage in camping which means the use of Park land or other publicly owned property for living accommodation purposes including but not limited to any of the following:
1. Sleeping activities;
2. Making preparations to sleep;
3. Laying down of bedding for the purposes of sleeping;
4. Storing personal belongings;
5. Erecting any tent, tarpaulin, shelter, or other structure that would permit one to sleep overnight;
6. Knowingly causing a fire including campfires, cooking fires, bonfires or other open flames.
Anyone found disobeying this Law shall be punished by imprisonment in jail for a term of nothing more than one year, or by a fine in an amount of not more than $5,000, or by both.
God could have done all these things too, but He didn’t.
What did God do? He created everything; the stars, the planets, the animals, the Garden, the whole universe for what purpose? So that the man and the woman could understand the Nature of God. God's Nature, His personality, is revealed to us by all of Creation. The same Creation of which we, the human race, are the pinnacle. We are the crowning achievement of all God's Creation, made in His image. God had no need for planets, animals, or a Garden. All of Creation was a testament to the Nature of its Creator. A testimony of His provision, His love, and His intention.
There is no deception in the Nature of God. There are no ulterior motives in the Nature of the Creator. These things are the creation of serpents, and of man. We have forgotten that we are Created in the image of God to understand and embody the Nature of God. But we have made poor choices, we have misunderstood God and embodied the nature of the serpent. We have scientifically proven that His provision is an mysterious accident, His love is a fiction of wishful thinking, and His intention is filled with hell fire and damnation, not for us because we have lived a good life, but for all those other people who deserve to burn. Like the homeless, and the addicts, and surely that homeless addict who urinated behind the garage.
That's the kind of God we understand, or would like to believe in. A God as inclined to forget our sins as we are, and as judgemental of the wrongs we have suffered at the hands of others. A personal pit-bull of a God. Trained to stay (at a comfortable distance), sit (idly by while we sin), heel (to our aid when we are in trouble), and attack on command (those other sinners that should burn).
He could do those things, but He doesn't.
The point is God doesn't see us as bad or good, that my dear friends, that is Santa Claus. He doesn't give us what we want, that is also Santa Claus.
He could do those things too, but He doesn't.
Instead, He sees us as His beloved children, who estranged Him in our infancy. Yet, He has provided an open door, a way to come to know Him, His nature, and His love. We need only to remember the greatest commandments. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, and all your soul. And the second is like the first, love others as yourself.
That's what you can do, have you?
P.S. -Thanks for all the anonymous help in writing this!
