DAY 3

THE GARDEN OF EDEN

So the Lord God drove the man out of the Garden of Eden to work the ground he had been made out of.
 -Genesis 3:23

PAUSE
God loved His children, Adam and Eve, very much. They lived in the Garden of Eden, a beautiful garden God created for them. Adam and Eve were in perfect relationship with God, who gave them one rule, “Do not eat fruit from the tree of good and evil.” The enemy, Satan, didn’t want Adam and Eve to be in perfect relationship with God, so he disguised himself as a snake and tricked Eve into doubting the loving command God had given. Eve listened to Satan’s lie and ate the fruit. Then Eve gave Adam the fruit and he ate it as well. When God came into the garden, both Adam and Eve hid because they were naked and ashamed.
God calls anything we do in disobedience to His commands a sin. And because God is completely good, sin cannot be near Him. Therefore, Adam and Eve’s sins separated them from God. Adam and Eve, no longer perfect, could not live in the garden with God. They had to leave, and ultimately the payment for their sin was death. But this was not the end of the story. God promised he would send a Savior (Jesus) into the world to destroy Satan and save us from death, by dying on the cross himself. Through Jesus, we can once again be near to God.

PRAY
Thank you God for being forgiving and kind. Thank you for loving me unconditionally and sending Jesus to pay for my sins. I pray you will guide me in obedience today.

FAMILY ACTIVITY
Draw a target. Try to toss an object and hit the target every time. When you miss, explain to your family how missing the target is like sin: “missing the mark” of God’s holiness. Explain that everyone was born a sinner and will often miss the mark on God’s holiness.  Explain that Jesus forgives our imperfect shot, thereby allowing us to remain near to God.