The LORD God put Adam in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.  And He also gave Adam freedom…the freedom to eat from any of the trees in the garden, except one.
One tree was ‘off-limits’.  One tree had a warning label from God.  One tree!
Adam could have any of the fruit or nuts from any of the other trees, in fact he could have eaten the fruit of another lone tree…the tree of life…but he did not.

(NASB) Genesis 2:16-17 “The LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘From any tree of the garden you may eat freely;
17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

What has the LORD God given you to freely enjoy?  Make a list…

What has the LORD God told you not to do, where has He put a warning label in your life?  Make a list…

What do you observe about your lists?

What happens when you and I willfully disobey God’s warning label?  What if you ignore what you know is wrong in your choices?  You are disobeying God’s warning label, which He has put there for your protection.

My relationship with the LORD God is affected when I ignore God’s warning – I grieve the Holy Spirit or even go a step further and quench the Holy Spirit’s influence in my life.
My relationship with my spouse, family and friends, even strangers is affected.  God’s warning label tells me of the ‘silent killer’ of healthy relationships.

What frees you and me to love God and others?
(NASB) 1 John 1:8-10 “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”

 

What is the LORD God warning you of today?