Thoughts Reflections and Inspirations

Our first parents, Adam and Eve, were driven out of the garden of Eden and from then on needed to make their living by hard work. Disease and sickness also came with this fall. When we look around the world and we see all the hatred, depression, sickness, discouragement and poverty, we can know that this is all because of sin entering the world.

Satan, who is the devil, was working through the serpent that day. Because Adam and Eve obeyed him, Satan took the dominion over the earth. He is also referred to in scripture as the prince and power of the air and the spirit that works in the children of disobedience. Even till this very day there is a great battle for the never dying souls of mankind.

Man was created an eternal being because God breathed into man the breath of life. This is an awesome truth to realize we all will be somewhere forever. There are only two possibilities for a destination. One is in the presence of God in eternal glory. The other is eternal damnation with Satan, the deceiver, the one who robs, steals, kills and destroys. He is trying desperately to take as many as he can with him to eternal damnation. But the choice is ours just as it was for our first parents. What choice will we make? This will make the difference forever.

We are and were created for the Good Shepherd’s pleasure. He takes great pleasure when we, His creation, serve and follow Him because we have chosen to do so and not because we are forced to. He does not force us to obey and follow Him. However, there are serious consequences when we don’t.

In that perfect environment, called the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve were placed, there was a tree placed by God which they were forfidden to eat from. Why would God put that tree there? Because God did not create man to be a robot. God is love and it brings Him great pleasure when we love Him in return. Remember, we were created for His pleasure. So if we love God we will obey Him. This brings Him great honor and satisfaction when we choose to obey.

Our first parents, Adam and Eve, were confronted with this choice concerning the tree they were forbidden to eat from (Genesis 3). One day the serpent questioned Eve about what God had said. Eve was deceived by the serpent and ate of the forbidden fruit. She gave some to Adam and he ate of it as well, even tho he was not deceived by the serpent. God, the Creator, had told them if they disobey and eat of this fruit they will surely die. This act of disobedience is what brought sin and death into the world. This is why we needed someone to save us from all this mess.

Buildings are built for many different reasons. Shops are built for a place to work and build or manufacture things. Barns are built to shelter animals and feed. Houses are built for people to live in and castles are built for the rich and famous. The value of a building is determined by what is put into it: the cost, what kind of materials were used and the purpose it is built for.

Why did God create us anyway? Colossians 1:16 tells us, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him:”.

So we were created by Him and for Him. What was in God’s heart and mind that caused Him to make creatures like us? Did He need slaves to work for Him? No, because God put Adam and Eve, our first parents, in a perfect environment: perfect climate, all the food they needed readily available and just enough responsibility to keep life interesting was theirs to enjoy. God and man had perfect fellowship in that perfect setting. They could openly and freely communicate with each other.

Revelation 4:11 sums it up well, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

It is greatly amazing what can come from the dust of the ground when it is in the hands of the Good Shepherd. Genesis 2:7 tells us that God formed man from the dust of the ground, then He breathed into him the breath of life and man became a living soul. Genesis 1:27 tells us, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him;”.

If a person owns a few acres of land that he bought with his own money and then builds a house on it with his own money, who owns the house? Who has the right to live in that house? Who has the right to say how or what style of house this is to be? Who has the right to decide what color of paint to use? Who has the right to decide if it will be brick on the outside or vinyl siding? We can easily agree that the owner, the one who paid the price for it has the authority to make all these choices and decisions.

So then, who has the rightful authority in matters of the human race? By right of creation, it is God who is the legitmate owner of all that He made. We look around us an see that so much in the world is not as it should be. It is also very obvious that so many in the world do not acknowledge or respect Him. Why is this true and how did it come to this and what is the solution to a chaotic world?

Now to take a closer look at the Good Shepherd Himself is necessary since the sheep must trust Him if they are to be led by Him. Why would David trust Him to the extent that he called Him ‘my shepherd’? It would stand to reason that David trusted Him because he learned to know Him personally.

We live in a day when many would aspire to leadership. Many say in a sense, “I am a shepherd, follow me.” All the religions in the world have their highly esteemed prophets and men who started a movement and claim to be great leaders. Some who follow these movements and religions are so convinced that they are willing to die for their cause. Some even say all religions lead to the same god and the same heaven. Some, because of this, throw up their hands and give up because it all seems so confusing to them.

Many make a profession of Christianity without really knowing the Good Shepherd. Many know about Him without knowing Him personally. Herein is where the difference lies, between those who have come to eternal life and those who have taken on a religion. Religion or knowing facts about Christianity will not take any one to heaven by itself, but having a personal relationship with the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ will.