May 6

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Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. Genesis 2:16-17

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🔊 At the Creation, Adam was placed in the garden and given a moral command, implying he had the power of moral choice.  It was not a purely negative command – it was a positive exhortation to enjoy all the fruits of the garden, except for one.  Mankind could not escape the demands of moral choice then, and neither can we now.  We may wash our hands as Pilate did, but there is no way of escaping our responsibility.  This moral stature is an indication of the huge distance between us and the animals.  Humanists take a materialistic view of the universe, which claims there is no absolute right and wrong, only opinions about these things.  But this is clearly not the truth, since the world is infected with evil, which brings misery and death to millions.  We are moral beings.  Winston Churchill said:

“Would you rise in the world?  You must work while others amuse themselves.  Are you desirous of a reputation for courage?  You must risk your life.  Would you be strong morally or physically?  You must resist temptation.  All this is paying in advance, that is, prospective finance.  Observe the other side of the picture: the bad things are paid for afterwards.”

Where there is disobedience, there are results; we must reap the rewards of our sin, in personal misery and shame.  To attain moral character and stature, we must deny ourselves.  God is the Creator, and we are to read and understand his instruction book for human beings!  The rewards are long-term and abundant in unspeakable joy.  Invest your all this day for eternity.