A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN WITH A SLY SNAKE GENESIS 3

Nothing can separate us from the love God has for us. Not death, not life, not angels, not ruling spirits, nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us, nothing below us, or anything else in the whole world will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38)

God gave Adam and Eve a perfect place to live. He planted a beautiful garden in a land called Eden. God told them to enjoy every good thing growing in the garden, except He warned them not to taste the fruit hanging from one tree. It was a simple rule. But a sly snake slithered in the garden. The snake didn’t like God or His rules. It came to trick Adam and Eve into disobeying. It wanted them to forget God’s love long enough to make a terrible mistake.

The snake hissed. It whispered to Eve, “Eat from the one tree. Then you’ll see things as God does! If God loves you, wouldn’t He want you to become wise?” Adam and Eve believed the sneaky snake’s lie. They took a bite of the fruit from the one tree. Suddenly, everything changed. One lie allowed an awful thing to enter the world. Sin found its way into the hearts of Adam and Eve. Suddenly they felt sad and afraid.

The perfect life God created for them was now imperfect. They walked out of the garden to begin their new journey. God told them He would watch over them. He loved them as much as ever! But they had to leave their perfect home. God had a plan to squash sin and the lies it brought. A mistake can’t keep God’s great big love from reaching out. It never will.

 

Do you feel bad when you forget to follow a rule? It’s okay to think about how you might do better next time around. But don’t keep feeling badly when you do a bad thing. God is all-forgiving!

Reprinted with permission from Bible Stories for Kids: 40 Essential Stories to Grow in God’s Love