You Possess The Greatest Power In The World

James R. Davis

What do we think when we think of Eden? God. Intimacy. Goodness. Tranquility. Untainted. Guiltless. Purity. Virtue. Harmlessness. Life. Immortality. Health. Youthfulness. Abundance. Simplicity. Unsophisticated. Inoffensive. Painless. Tearless. Safety. Security. Peace. Harmony. Understanding. Joy. Nakedness. Innocence. Openness. Sexuality. Fruitfulness. Morality. Incorruption. Guileless. Priceless. Confidence. Freedom. Choice. A place only found in our dreams.

"Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed." (Genesis 2:8.) "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." (Genesis 1:31.)

"And the LORD God commanded the man, "you are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge f good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." (Genesis 2:16,17.) Satan said, "You will not surely die . . . For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, ad you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:4-5.)

What did Adam and Eve see when their eyes were opened? Satan. Good. Evil. Disillusionment. Guilt. Alienation. Death. Finality. Aging. Fear. Hunger. Nakedness. Shame. Lusts. Perversion. Helplessness. Pain. Thorns. Toil. Sweat. Tears. Hurt. Anger. Suspicion. Division. Deceit. Vanity. Foolishness. Wickedness. Pride. Loss!!! Power of Choice!

When I think of Eden, I have several questions. How long did the age of innocence last? What was it like to talk to God, one on one, in person? What was it like to work for a purpose without having to worry about making a living? What was sexual knowledge like in total innocence? What was it like not to age? What is it like to have no need of hospitals, policemen, or funeral homes? Why did Adam & Eve make the choice to eat of the forbidden? Did they not know that paradise could not be improved? What would it take to satisfy human nature? When would enough be enough?

Human nature is endowed with curiosity. It is always searching, probing, and discovering. This curiosity implanted by God makes it possible for us to discover our world and have dominion over it. This curiosity is a wonderful thing if channeled in the right direction. But when it is directed in the wrong direction it becomes extremely self-destructive. We live in an age when we ask the question: "How far is too far?" "How much is too much?" "When does `no' mean `NO'?" These questions arise in areas of science, law, life and human relations. Curiosity easily becomes exploitation for self-gratification.

How many times have we craved to turn the clock back to an age of innocence? The further we go the tougher the decisions. The choices made move us in one direction or the other. At times the movement is in such small increments that movement is not perceptible. The result may not be known until decades later. After we discover the movement we wish "we didn't know now, what we didn't know then."

The Greatest Power On Earth Lies Within You

God placed the most powerful thing in the world God in our hands in Eden.  The power of choice!!! The gates of Hell itself cannot prevail against our choice (Matthew 16:18; Romans 8:37-39). In a very real sense Heaven cannot prevail over that choice!!!  It  is choice that hurtles us toward self-gratification, self-destruction or the abundant life in Jesus Christ. That powerful weapon is given to each of us every day. It is the first thing we use when we arise each morning and the last thing we use when we pillow our head at night. And that power of choice is the only thing that will move us toward the abundant life in Christ.

We must ever be aware of the choices we make and the power of God through his Spirit that will enable each of  us to make the right choices. Which direction are our choices taking us? Adam could have never imagined the direction his choice would lead. As we look back we must understand that we will never be all wise in making our decisions but we can listen to God.