Daily Devotions

During the Lenten season, members of Faith Lutheran Church have written our daily devotions.  Today’s writer is Doug Elsen.

¹⁵The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.

¹⁶And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; ¹⁷but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” Genesis 2:15-17

In Genesis 2:15 – 17 God gave each of us an awesome amount of responsibility.  He gave us the power over ourselves and his world.  When I wake up each morning, I need to understand what a great undertaking it is to be part of God’s kingdom.  This responsibility includes service to our church.  We have many opportunities to serve and there are openings all the time for people to participate.  When I am asked to serve in leadership, I feel that it is my responsibility to serve where asked.  We are also responsible givers, practicing intentional giving that honors God and the church that we attend.

God gave us the power to make choices.  Each time we do this, we should prayerfully ask God’s guidance.  There are times when we are tempted by the fruits of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  When we make the right decision with God’s guidance we are rewarded.  It is difficult to live with the pain of bad decisions.  Each day in our business we are presented with situations where we have to evaluate what is the right decision.  There are so many temptations in business dealings, money being the main culprit, that we sometimes lose our focus on what is right and wrong.  The Holy Spirit works in us to make these choices and also to realize when we fail that there is a forgiving God who is always there for us and who gave us his Son to take away our sins.  What else do we need?  We have all the tools we need to live in this complicated world in which God has placed us.

Let us pray:  Heavenly Father, please remind us daily the responsibilities that come with faith. Show us how to serve you best and guide our thoughts and actions. Thank you for all you have given us. Amen.

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