Day 31: Genesis 3:22-24
Devotional
READ GENESIS 3:22-24
I love technology. I love my tablet, my phone, my laptop. I couldn’t do most of what I do without technology. But when I write, I love to start with pen and paper. There is something about the rhythm of pen and paper that help me create. Funny thing though… when I start to write with pen and paper, if I make a mistake at the start, I immediately tear it out, crumple it up and pitch it across the room towards the wastebasket, and on a good day I make a few in. If I make it to the middle of the page, I will switch tactics and deal with cross outs, scribbles, and white out. I guess I just think that when there is a mistake at the start, that is easier to just start over with a clean piece of paper.
In Genesis 3:22-24, we see one of the immediate results of Adam and Eve’s disobedience. They are ejected from the paradise that God had created for them, and therefore, they were forced to live a new life in which their survival would come because of hardship and labor. We also see that the ejection from paradise is both a consequence of broken fellowship with God and evidence of God’s grace, as He did not want man to have access to the tree of life in his fallen state.
I am grateful that when Adam and Eve did their best to mess things up at the start, God didn’t crumple up the paper and start over. God chose to separate man and paradise, but He didn’t destroy either. He didn’t draw a line through anything or break out the white out either. He just kept writing. Adam and Eve’s disobedience has impacted the world for millennia but has never come close to derailing God’s plan.
Like a page filled with scribbles and mistakes, our lives can feel messy and full of missteps. But just as God didn’t discard Adam and Eve after their failure, He doesn’t discard us. Even in their disobedience, God’s grace was at work, preserving His plan. When we make mistakes, we can trust that God doesn’t throw us away—He continues His work in our lives. Rather than starting over, He takes what’s broken and redeems it. In your own life, trust that God is still writing your story, using even your missteps for His greater purpose.
I love technology. I love my tablet, my phone, my laptop. I couldn’t do most of what I do without technology. But when I write, I love to start with pen and paper. There is something about the rhythm of pen and paper that help me create. Funny thing though… when I start to write with pen and paper, if I make a mistake at the start, I immediately tear it out, crumple it up and pitch it across the room towards the wastebasket, and on a good day I make a few in. If I make it to the middle of the page, I will switch tactics and deal with cross outs, scribbles, and white out. I guess I just think that when there is a mistake at the start, that is easier to just start over with a clean piece of paper.
In Genesis 3:22-24, we see one of the immediate results of Adam and Eve’s disobedience. They are ejected from the paradise that God had created for them, and therefore, they were forced to live a new life in which their survival would come because of hardship and labor. We also see that the ejection from paradise is both a consequence of broken fellowship with God and evidence of God’s grace, as He did not want man to have access to the tree of life in his fallen state.
I am grateful that when Adam and Eve did their best to mess things up at the start, God didn’t crumple up the paper and start over. God chose to separate man and paradise, but He didn’t destroy either. He didn’t draw a line through anything or break out the white out either. He just kept writing. Adam and Eve’s disobedience has impacted the world for millennia but has never come close to derailing God’s plan.
Like a page filled with scribbles and mistakes, our lives can feel messy and full of missteps. But just as God didn’t discard Adam and Eve after their failure, He doesn’t discard us. Even in their disobedience, God’s grace was at work, preserving His plan. When we make mistakes, we can trust that God doesn’t throw us away—He continues His work in our lives. Rather than starting over, He takes what’s broken and redeems it. In your own life, trust that God is still writing your story, using even your missteps for His greater purpose.
Personal Reflection
- Make a list of truths about who God is. Use this list to remind yourself that, regardless of our feelings, we can know who God truly is.
- One of the greatest benefits of being in a small group or Life Group is having people with whom you can declare His truth. Are you part of a group where you can share His truth and testimony? If not, reach out and let us help get you connected.
- This week, find someone to share the truth of who God is with. Speak life and encouragement into their life.
Posted in The Beginning Devotionals
2 Comments
“When we make mistakes, we can trust that God doesn’t throw us away—He continues His work in our lives. Rather than starting over, He takes what’s broken and redeems it.” Thank you for this reminder. Thank you for the visual yesterday of God lovingly and patiently making us beautiful—even in the messiness—from a lump of clay in the potters hands.
Great reminder that God doesn’t throw us away. He is constantly working to renew and restore me.