NICE THINGS? – MAYBE NOT

READING: GENESIS 3:1-6

Verse 6: “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate...”

People get deceived by things that superficially seem nice, but which are actually traps set by the devil. They say, “It would be nice to” and add to that statement something that seems pleasant. Then, too quickly for them to understand what really happened, they are actually doing that nice thing. The problem is that this nice thing has never been examined to determine if it meets godly standards, or conforms to the will of the Lord. Because of that, this thing that seems to be nice could actually be a temptation from the evil one. As described above, it happened just that way to Eve. The devil knew that if he could get her to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Eve would be in rebellion against God. All Eve considered was that the fruit looked good, and that it seemed desirable to use it to become wise. There is another way to describe her reaction. She thought it would be nice. Instead of being nice, her choice became the most destructive decision that has ever been made. How desperately we need to learn this lesson well, so that the people of God will consistently determine the will of the Lord before acting. We must remember what a serious matter this is as defined by Proverbs 14:12. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. What was Eve’s first step into trouble?

2. What percentage of your decisions do you examine by godly standards?