One Thing

“Why did you do such a thing?” Genesis 3:13

Adam and Eve could have had a perfect life. God provided everything they needed and they lived in this wonderful garden we can only dream of. There was only one thing, ONE THING God commanded of them. “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die (Gen. 2:6-7)”.

Now there was a serpent in the garden. Instead of stepping on it, the woman listened to it and actually conversed with it. There are many serpents around us. The best thing to do is not converse with it because it is crafty and deceiving. It can convince us of things we wouldn’t do otherwise. The serpent said, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from ANY tree of the garden?” The serpents in our life always try to make God appear harsh and tyrannical. 

Eve answered, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or TOUCH IT, lest you die.’” Where did the exaggeration come from? Only from accepting the serpent’s invitation to interact with him. 

The woman continued to listen to the serpent. “You surely shall not die! God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So the woman ate from the forbidden tree, and gave it to her husband to eat. 

The man and the woman were banished out of the garden. Now man and woman had to work for their food, toil over land with thorns and thistles. Fast forward to Luke 10:41-42. Martha is toiling over a hot stove, preparing food for Jesus and His disciples while Mary her sister was sitting at Jesus’ feet, enthralled with His words. Martha complained to Jesus, “Please tell my sister to help me.” 

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—really only ONE thing. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Let us learn a lesson from Eve. We should not listen to the serpents in our lives. Let us instead make it a priority to listen to God.