In The Garden - 40 Pack

A true story of the Mercy and Justification of God, from the Garden of Eden to the Garden of Gethsemane.
 
"He knew me yet He loved me,
He whose glory makes the heavens shine."
(Florida Boys' Lyrics)
How is that even possible?  For the God of creation, who truly knows us, to love us so much, that He would give His life for us, yet God did.  
John 3:16 declares, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever (you, me) believes in Him should not perish (suffer complete ruin or destruction), but have everlasting life." 
The fact is that no one knows you better than God Himself; after all, He is your Creator (Genesis 2:7) And Psalm 90:2 affirms that "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God."
As I read the account of Creation and the Fall of man in the garden of Eden, I read of an event of monumental proportion, that changed the world we live in today.  In the beginning of time as we know it, "God created the heavens and the earth" Genesis 1:1.  Man (Adam) and woman (Eve) are the crowning achievements of God's creative work.  Psalm 8:5 declares, "For You (God) have made him (man) a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor." 
Adam and Eve were free moral beings, bearing the image of God.  And they alone on all the earth were equipped to fellowship with their Creator.  Adam and Eve lived in "The Garden of Eden" (Genesis 2:15). 
Eden is translated in the Hebrew word which means "Delight," suggesting Garden of Delight.  
I myself have seen many beautiful gardens, but I am sure they were nothing as beautiful as Adam and Eve's Garden of Delight, it being free from the curse if sin.  As I look out my window each morning, taking in the Creator's handiwork, I am reminded of the scripture in Romans 1:20, "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes (a quality or feature regarded as a characteristic or inherent part of someone) are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse."
Adam was given the honor of being the first king and Eve the first Queen of the Beautiful, Award Winning, Garden of Eden.  As king, Adam had the rule over His kingdom with the honor and privilege of giving names to all who lived there. And Eve was given the position of First lady (no pun intended).  Eve, crowned with glory and honor, was the jewel of the Garden of Delight, loved and admired by her handsome husband, Adam.  Eve walked proudly at Adam's side in the garden, the beautiful delightful garden given to them by the All-powerful, All-knowing, All-present, Unchanging, Infinite, Eternal, Holy God.
Genesis 2:15-17 gives instructions on how Adam was to care for the garden: "Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.  And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but 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 surely die.'” 
What a beautiful beginning to the history of man, to have complete sovereignty (rule) over the first heavenly garden on this great earth. And what a sad event (recorded in Genesis Chapter 3) of Adam and his wife Eve being driven from the garden of Eden due to their act of disobedience to a holy and just God.  Romans 5:12 explains, "Therefore, just as through one man (Adam) sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned."  Because Adam's blood flows through our veins, we are all under the penalty of sin.  And Romans 3:23 states, "For all (you and me) have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  So Adam and his beautiful bride were driven from the very presence of their Creator to live and die under the curse originated through their own sin.  Once happy without a care in the world, they are now, through an act of covetousness and disobedience, burdened with the cares of the world, and fallen from the grace (favor) of the Father, God.
Now the question is, "How do they sing the LORD's song in a strange land?"  This true story doesn't end there; it continues in another garden, the garden of Gethsemane.  Gethsemane is a garden in Jerusalem, and is known as the place where Jesus prayed the night before his crucifixion. It was there that God's salvation plan to bring man back into fellowship with Himself was being prayed for. The apostle Mark recorded the event: "Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He (Jesus) said to His disciples, 'Sit here while I pray'" (Mark 14:32). 
The Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Infinite, Immutable, Eternal, Holy God, The Creator of heaven and earth was preparing to pay the ultimate price on the Cross of Calvary, for the Original Sin of fallen man.  The price was ours to pay, but because of man's unrighteousness, only Jesus was worthy to make the payment in full.  The great prophet John the Baptist declared that Jesus is: "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29).
Romans 5:8 tells us that "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Can you believe it, that God's only son Jesus, would be the man (God in the flesh) to bring us back to righteousness with God the Father?  
John 19:30 records these awesome words, "It is finished."  In Hebrew, these words convey the meaning that a debt has been "paid in full." This means that our sin debt was PAID IN FULL by Christ's death on our behalf. 
Hebrews 12:1-2 encourages us to "Run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Just like Adam and Eve, we all have an appointment with death.  Hebrews 9:27 declares that, "It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment."  
As you think and wonder if God is real, give some thought to where you will spend eternity?  And if you already accepted the finish work of Christ Jesus on the cross, Amen to you! 
Now go share the great news, that Jesus took your sin to the cross, and payment for your sin, was PAID IN FULL! 
"He knew me yet He loved me,
He whose glory makes the heavens shine.
So unworthy of such mercy,
Yet when He was on the cross,
I was on his mind."
(Florida Boys' Lyrics)