Posted in Life Inspiration

And She Still Messed Up!

Written by talk2shari Published April 22, 2024April 22, 2024 Discussion Leave a Comment

Have you ever thought of God’s creation of mankind. When on the 6th day, after He had spoken the world into existence, He then decided to mix up some clay and mold man in His own image. It says Male and Female created He them. As an artist I can’t help but thinking of it from that perspective. If God spoke the world into existence, He could have just as well spoken man into being. But He rather took the time to create and mold man into His own image. God cares about every detail of us.

I am so critical of myself and have been since I was a small child. I never thought I measured up to any other girl. Everyone was prettier, more talented, bigger, better, brighter, all the stuff. And I still struggle with it to a certain degree because the world sets the stage for comparison.

But even without the world, Eve was placed with the temptation of comparison when Satan showed her the fruit and began placing doubts in her mind. “Did God say…?” and then Eve added to it when she said “God told us not to eat it or even touch it!” Well that wasn’t true. God didn’t tell them not to touch it.

What Eve lacked was the knowledge and confidence of having the word of God in her heart. She knew God had said don’t eat of the fruit, she remembered that. But then she added her own little twist, causing herself to think it was the word of God when she added that God told them not to touch it. It’s not that it really added anything to the conversation, except to cause her uncertainty and make her vulnerable to the Devil’s lies.

I doubt there was ever a time when man (and woman) had more wisdom than at the beginning of Creation. As I was studying creation, I loved where the word said that God would create the animals and then bring them to Adam to name.

Genesis 2:19 KJV

And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

It shows the depth of knowledge that Adam had to be able to name and remember the name of every critter. But scripture doesn’t really say anything about the mind of Eve and I think we view her as kind of a dimwitted broad that got fooled by the Devil, when that wasn’t true. God made both she and Adam in His image and put within them great minds. It’s there to show us that even at our best we are vulnerable to the devils lies.

Let’s talk about

The Wisdom of the Woman

Proverbs 3:13-23 KJV

[13] Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. [14] For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. [15] She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. [16] Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. [17] Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. [18] She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.

Don’t you find it interesting that God called wisdom “she.”

· She is more precious than rubies

· All the things thou canst desire are not to be compared to her

· Length of days is in her right hand

· In her left hand riches and honor

· Her ways are ways of pleasantness

· Her paths are peace

· She is a tree of life

· Happy is everyone that retaineth her

When I got to the words “She is a tree of life” I did a double take! I stumbled upon that little tidbit of wisdom in the word that I had never given any thought. The very thing that Eve had cost man was the Tree of life, but in Proverbs God has Solomon write that wisdom is the tree of life and it’s a “she.”

I don’t want to read something into the word of God that’s not there, but God said wisdom was female. I also don’t want to put a lot of emphasis on it because the world has already done that when it caused all the animosity between man and woman by women not being in submission as God intended them to be as the weaker vessel.

He didn’t do that because our minds were weaker, but because our bodies were weaker. God intended man to be our protector. Our minds are an open book to God’s library of thoughts, but we choose to stay busy and not tap into it.

I was elated when this scripture took me back to the time of Creation:

[19] The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. [20] By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew. [21] My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: [22] So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. [23] Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.

Eve didn’t stumble because she didn’t have the access to wisdom, she stumbled because she didn’t access it before the Devil got in her head.

The Work of the Woman

When God created Eve she had purpose. That purpose was to help Adam.

This really threw me into a tailspin, because I don’t always view myself as a help meet for David but rather a doer of dishes and laundry. And that’s certainly part of it for me, but God created me to help David meet his responsibilities. Adam is missing a piece of his side, because God created Eve out of it. To walk beside him, work beside and be beside him in thick and in thin. Eve was to support her man. That is an important job that women take for granted.

It gave me a new perspective on housework. Which I hate. But David likes order. I am queen of chaos. I need to do more to make sure he has order in his life so that he can be productive at what he does. In turn, it could possibly make me more productive too if I’m honest.

I spend half my time looking for stuff.

We take our role in the lives of our family too lightly. We have an example to set of what God wanted women to know.

He wanted us to be wise and He did not want us to compare ourselves to each other! We are to desire wisdom because nothing can be compared to “her.” I get such joy out of studying the word of God and yet I don’t spend near enough time in it because my life is so chaotic and if I’m painstakingly honest, I have a rebellious heart that would rather do other stuff.

The Ways of the Woman

· Her ways are ways of pleasantness

· Her paths are peace

· She is a tree of life

· Happy is everyone that retaineth her

Scripture says if we walk in wisdom our ways will be pleasant, full of peace, be a tree of life and lead to happiness.

Does that not make you want to get in the word and stay in the word?

LuAnn has taught me so much with that. She is a deep studier of the word. She cross references the word so many times during a study that she knows every nook and cranny of how the puzzles of scripture fit together. I blame my ADD because I cannot stay focused, but it still may be my rebellious spirit.

I don’t think I have to tell you that there is a difference in the ways of men and the ways of women. But what were the differences between Adam and Eve. God gave them minds of their own because Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the Devil. Neither took responsibility for their fall.

I don’t know if you’re any different but I know I’m not. I’m fat because food is good. Not because I have no will power. Eve fell because Satan tempted her, not because she didn’t listen tow what God said or understand the seriousness of that piece of fruit. If she had tapped into what God wanted them to understand her life would have been pleasant, filled with peace for eternity and she would be happy. Is that not our goal?

Praise God we’re afforded that again through Jesus Christ. Not in the perfect sense that Eve would have experienced it, but in bits and pieces now and eternally through the ages to come. But in order to get to that place in our lives we have to do some of the things that Eve did not.

We have got to stay in the Word and study it for ourselves, not just depend on the preacher to tell us what it says. That’s good, we need that, but it’s not enough. I’ve heard it said that Adam let Eve down by not making sure she understood, but I’m not so sure that was the case. He was willing to take the fall, but I don’t believe that Eve’s mind was lacking. I think maybe her attention span was lacking, but that may have not been the case either. My mind is often messed up because I’m over stimulated with coffee, drained from over working or just too many irons in the fire. Eve did not have that. They lived in a perfect world, and yet she still messed up.

When it comes to playing the comparison game, she had nobody to compare herself to. She was to set the standard. And she still messed up.

I think that is the greatest lesson to be learned from Eve, that the evil of this world is too much to handle on our own. We need each other and we above all need Jesus Christ and His word to guide us.

This study was from The Jesus Chick’s session during an Appalachian Heart Ministries event.

Posted in Bible Journaling, Eternity, Not Another Manic Monday

That Doggone Tree

Written by talk2shari Published April 2, 2019April 2, 2019 Discussion Leave a Comment

Genesis 3:5

For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

I don’t want to scare you but I have a 22 point message. And before you tune me out, they’re actually sub points of a __ point message and they’ll only briefly be mentioned, and in a manner I think you’ll come to appreciate regarding the tree of good and evil from Genesis 3.

I think often about that doggone tree in the garden that started it all when it comes to sin and mankind. If it hadn’t been for that tree, life would have been so much different for each one of us. And Then I think of who I’ve become because of many the evil things in my life, and it makes me ponder the tree a little deeper today.

The Fallacy of the Fruit

When God created the fruits of the tree, it says in Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

It doesn’t say there was any difference, with the exception that in verses 16-17, God said And the Lord God commanded the man, saying of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

They were all good for food, but one was forbidden, and yet it wasn’t entirely evil. It was the tree of good and evil. That’s where some confusion on my part comes in. How can a tree be filled with both. And why was it even there? Why would God put something so tempting in the garden that He knew would reap such destruction for all of mankind?

If there’s one thing that I have figured out in my 56 years of life on this earth, it’s that “Nothing just happens.” God has purpose for every single thing on and in this earth. And while it was not ever God’s intention for man to sin; God still knew the story before it happened. He also knew Satan’s starring role in the story and how Satan twisted the words of the Lord to confuse Eve.

“Ye shall not surely die:” he said.

And so Eve ate of the tree and the rest, as they say, is history. But what Eve set in motion isn’t just history, its future as well. There are things that have happened and things that are going to happen that are horrible because of the circumstances of the original sin.

All the fruit of the garden was good, and Eve could have had any one of them and been satisfied. But it says that upon the temptation of the Serpent’s words, that eve

⁶… saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. ⁷And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

Something happened when they discovered evil. They already knew good, but now they’d discovered the opposite of good, which is evil.

They knew they were naked.

For the first time they experienced fear, shame and guilt. They no longer had confidence in who they were. Where they had once looked forward to the arrival of the Lord in the garden, now they were hiding and covering their bodies up because of that doggone fruit of the garden. And we’re still doing it today, even though it’s no longer necessary.

I created the drawing and used all the words I could think of that began with “D.” But there’s a thousand others that start with many other letters that could fit on the branches as well. All things that cause our relationship with the Lord to suffer. That was Satan’s goal. He was jealous of Adam and Eve and what they had with the Lord. He was out to destroy it. And he’s still destroying it today. He hates our relationship with God. How many of us are suffering one of the afflictions I’ve listed on the tree, or multiple. And how many times do they drive us away from God because Satan convinces us that we’re unworthy of God’s love. That’s what Adam and Eve discovered that day. That they were unworthy. Shameful. They didn’t know that before they discovered evil. But from that one act of disobedience, look at how many problems came.

When I think about how many offshoots of sin came from the seeds of that one forbidden fruit I realize how very important it is to get to the Root of the matter. Pun totally intended.

The Foreknowledge of the Father

What happened in the garden did not catch God off guard.

Isaiah 46:9-10

⁹Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, ¹⁰Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

“Why” God created the tree in the garden isn’t as important as the fact that He “created it.” He spoke it, and it came to be. We want to question everything, rather than acknowledge that God is just amazing! He knew everything that would happen and he allowed it to happen because everything has purpose.

For certain Satan is to blame and there will come a day that he’ll be taken care of. But what the fall of man proves is that man and woman need God. The very thing Satan didn’t want. Every single bitter fruit on the tree does one thing, it causes us to search for hope and hope is found at the root of the tree.

I’ve experienced every single thing on that tree. But I’ve also experienced everything at the root of that tree. And because Christ is, (and this is the final point)

The Foundation of our Faith

He is the Root of all we need in Life.

Isaiah 11:10

¹⁰And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

We can find rest in His knowledge that is provided to us through the Holy Spirit because of His sacrifice.

All of the evil that Eve unleashed on that tree is covered by the blood of Jesus. Adam and Eve tried to use fig leaves to cover it up. Something else from a tree. But that wouldn’t do it, only the blood sacrifice would cover up what they’d done.

What I came to realize from this study, is that all of the things on the tree that I thought were evil, God used it for His good. That’s why I believe it’s called the tree of good and evil. Satan could only see the evil. The destruction, death, doubt, depravity of man. But God, who knew the ending would see what His Son would offer in its place. Devotion, deliverance, defense, our Daystar…

Too many other good things to count. But we have to take responsibility for our part of the evil. And then God’s shows us the goodness of His sacrifice.

We are the good fruit of someone. God handpicked us for a purpose.

I pray today you’ll remember that when Satan tries to show you the bad fruit in your life. And you’ll remind him of the good that’s come out of it. There is some.

And I pray you’ll never lose sight that we’re going to get to see that perfect garden someday when it’s redesigned by God.

Revelation 22:16

¹³I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

¹⁴Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

¹⁵For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

¹⁶I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

We live in an exciting time. Don’t let Satan rob you of any of the goodness of God.

Posted in Easter, salvation

It began and ended in the Garden

Written by talk2shari Published March 31, 2015 Discussion Leave a Comment

It was formed at creation; a place of splendor and beauty that we cannot possibly fathom. As beautiful as creation is now it still has thorns, mud and dying foliage, but that was not the case in the first garden. It had not rained so there would not have been mud, only perfect conditions for which to run and frolic in delight in that perfectly wonderful place… until we botched it through sin. My stomach twists and turns as I think about Satan slithering his way through God’s exquisite creation to make his way to Eve, where his pleas would not fall on deaf ears but rather his wicked seeds of doubt would take root in her soul and forever change the garden.

Genesis 2:8, Genesis 2:9

And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Eve traded Paradise for misguided perception.

The scripture says that Jesus and His disciples often resorted to a garden with His disciples. There is no doubt that He knew the garden of Creation and Gathsemane at the time it was created, long before sin had taken its effect on the land and before Satan’s ways had slithered into the heart of every man.

John 18:1-2

When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples. And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples.

Another betrayal in the garden. In a place where Jesus had sought to find rest with His friends, and was perhaps a place where He had expounded the truth to His disciples many times, including Judas; it would be that place Judas would seal the deal with the Devil. Another poor choice by the creation that God loved. It was in this garden that Christ cried out to His Father to let the cup pass if there would be any other way, but there was not. The coming days would be filled with betrayal to the extreme when the world would turn their back on Him, He Who created them… loved them… and died for them.

But then the final garden in the story.

John 19:40-42

Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.

As only Christ can do, it would come full circle in the garden! What Satan had intended to steal in the first garden, he was sure he had finally accomplished it in the third. But in the third garden, on the third day Jesus would prove victorious and in a twist of irony He was mistaken as the gardener by the women at the tomb.

John 20:15

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

The original Gardener. He Who had sown every seed in that glorious Garden of Eden, Who was there betrayed, had conquered every sin from the original to the end. Glory Hallelujah! Our Messiah. I’m so grateful for the Master Gardener… were it not for that empty tomb I would not stand redeemed and have peace in my soul that it so needful in this world of woe.

It was nice to find the gardens this morning in His word. I pray you find a little of your own to steal away and spend time with the Savior, be it in the garden, a coffee shop or a front porch swing.

Posted in Life Inspiration

The First New Year’s “Eve”

Written by talk2shari Published December 31, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

It’s New Year’s Eve! Let’s get the party started…but before we do I have a thought that I need to follow through. Was the very first New Year’s Eve formed in regret? Perhaps I’m wrong, I’ve been so before; but when I began looking for a topic to blog on this morning I wanted to think on a biblical eve (as in the night before something happened) But where God took me was to the capital “E” Eve and the thought that the very first New Year’s Eve celebration wasn’t really a celebration at all. But rather it was formed in regret… much the way many other modern day New Year’s Eve celebrations are formed when bad decisions effect a life time.

Genesis 3:1 ~ Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD GOD had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Just one question got that New Year’s Eve party started and Eve living her first day in the very first year. Prior to that she and her main man would have lived out eternity in the perfect world, but that decision began the time when life was counted in years. That thought gave new meaning to the word “eve” for me. We are on the brink of a new year. And it’s always a bitter sweet time, I’m sad about those things that I did not get accomplished in the year prior and excited about the potential for the coming New Year; and one thing for sure I don’t want to form 2015 in regret.

With the exception of one year, I have begun every year since salvation in a church service. The one year I missed was one of the saddest I’ve ever experienced (of course that was my own fault for allowing Satan to convince me of it). But none the less I determined that every year to follow would be spent in Christian fellowship if there was any way possible at all. And God has provided! Tonight for the second year in a row I’ll bring in the New Year at a “Teen Up All Night” event (spending at least 4 of the 12 hours asking myself, why did I do this? And the other 8 praising God!) At last year’s event 11 young people came to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Now that is a New Year without regret!

There will be many who unfortunately will wake up (or not) in great regret tomorrow. They’ll not know the saving grace of Jesus Christ or they’ll have turned their back on Him. What is important to remember is that we are all just one eve away from a broken relationship with Christ if we’re not on guard. Eve didn’t go to the garden to fall but she did indeed fall and because of it we all now face the very real day to day decisions of regret. Some are small, some are huge! 2015 is filled with potential! I pray yours and mine is filled with better health and a closer walk with Christ!