Day One Hundred Nine “Pleasure to Pain”

            Oh, the joy of cutting into a fresh, crisp watermelon!  This will certainly be the perfect dessert for the Sunday afternoon dinner that will follow a morning of worship at our local church.  No one was looking, so I did sneak a few bites while slicing up our tantalizing dessert.  After all, someone has to check it for taste and quality control, right?  And as evidenced by the loud crunch and the squirting juices, I think that this watermelon is definitely a winner.

            I can only envision the wonder of strolling through that first garden sown by God, that glorious, sin-free, perfect Eden.  Imagine the wonder of breaking open that first watermelon, planted by God’s own hand, or eating that first peach, cluster of grapes, fig, or crisp apple, every flavor wondrously new and fresh. Imagine seeing “every beast of the field” and “every fowl of the air,” those colorful creations painted by God’s own palette, living in unity, tame and calm.  Imagine no sin, no iniquity to taint your world, no sorrow or sadness, the awesome privilege of walking with the Creator Himself “in the cool of the day.”  Close your eyes for a moment and see Paradise, “…pleasant to the sight.” God looked upon this indescribable beauty of creation “and behold, it was very good.”  God used the simple act of cutting a watermelon to stir up that wondrous sight in my mind this evening.

            But what began as Paradise was ruined, decimated, spoiled by sin.  God had provided wondrous perfection in that garden, abundant provision for that first couple.  They surrendered all of that pleasure, walked away from God’s presence, all for a momentary act of self-will, eating of that one prohibited tree, the sole restriction placed on them in their haven of bliss.  With one bite of forbidden fruit, that one act of blatant rebellion, sin was introduced to our world, fellowship was broken, and a curse passed on to all generations to follow. 

Sin’s pleasures are always brief, but the painful consequences resulting from that sin are life-altering.  Praise God that in His mercy He promised a “seed of the woman,” a Messiah, an Anointed One, Who would inflict a mortal blow to Satan, conquering death and opening the way to eternal life for all who would place their trust in Him.  And someday, He will once again reign in perfection!

Romans 5:12   Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Thank You, Lord, for those little reminders of Your stunning creation. We ruined that perfect world with our ugly sin, but You did not forsake Your creation, You sent Your Son to redeem us, and someday that perfection will return. Praise Your name for Your love and mercy towards us.

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