As I was walking tonight, I saw a baby bird fallen out of it's nest, and close to death. My heart was moved to compassion because of this, and my helplessness to do anything. I brought this to the Lord, this senseless suffering and death, which resulted in one of those hyper conversations with Him; you know what I mean, where He makes things clear with words and images and thoughts, so that you see the why of something. This is what I saw;
In the begining there was no death in the creation, everything was perfect, and nothing ever passed away. All creatures existed in perfect harmony, with no sickness or injury or death, none. And God created man, and He put him over all things in the creation, even bringing each of the animals to him so that the man could name them. And then, so that the man would not be alone, God made him a companion, made from his own flesh, so that the man would have deep empathy and compassion for her. And everything was in perfect harmony, and God saw that all that He had made was good. And went to walk in the garden with the man and the woman each day.
The devil, being very subtle, went to the woman and deceived her into disobeying God. He lied to her, and enticed her, and she went to the man, who chose to eat and die with her. Could Adam have done differently? Yes, but as the woman was flesh of his flesh, we can see how he chose as he did. What mother would not give herself up for her child, flesh of her flesh? And the devil knew this, just as he knew that the result would be death coming into the creation, death for all things.
Adam made a chioce, one which none of us is qualified to judge, one which I would not want to make in his place. He was in a terrible position, and I believe that he spent the rest of his long life looking upon the result of his choice, even to seeing the murder of his son, by his brother. God did not condemn Adam, and we should not either.
But the devil, his motivations were clear. He wanted to see death come into creation, for he feels only hatred and jealousy. As Jesus said, he comes only to kill and steal and destroy. He has been a liar from the beginning, and he still lies. Death that now on creation is laid to his account. The redemption that Jesus has wrought is to overcome death, in all of it's manifestations.
We bear some responsibility for death by our sins. But the redemption of Jesus Christ transforms from the darkness, removes from us the condemnation, and restores us to life, not as we knew life before, but life eternal.
One day, even the baby birds will not die, not even one.
In the begining there was no death in the creation, everything was perfect, and nothing ever passed away. All creatures existed in perfect harmony, with no sickness or injury or death, none. And God created man, and He put him over all things in the creation, even bringing each of the animals to him so that the man could name them. And then, so that the man would not be alone, God made him a companion, made from his own flesh, so that the man would have deep empathy and compassion for her. And everything was in perfect harmony, and God saw that all that He had made was good. And went to walk in the garden with the man and the woman each day.
The devil, being very subtle, went to the woman and deceived her into disobeying God. He lied to her, and enticed her, and she went to the man, who chose to eat and die with her. Could Adam have done differently? Yes, but as the woman was flesh of his flesh, we can see how he chose as he did. What mother would not give herself up for her child, flesh of her flesh? And the devil knew this, just as he knew that the result would be death coming into the creation, death for all things.
Adam made a chioce, one which none of us is qualified to judge, one which I would not want to make in his place. He was in a terrible position, and I believe that he spent the rest of his long life looking upon the result of his choice, even to seeing the murder of his son, by his brother. God did not condemn Adam, and we should not either.
But the devil, his motivations were clear. He wanted to see death come into creation, for he feels only hatred and jealousy. As Jesus said, he comes only to kill and steal and destroy. He has been a liar from the beginning, and he still lies. Death that now on creation is laid to his account. The redemption that Jesus has wrought is to overcome death, in all of it's manifestations.
We bear some responsibility for death by our sins. But the redemption of Jesus Christ transforms from the darkness, removes from us the condemnation, and restores us to life, not as we knew life before, but life eternal.
One day, even the baby birds will not die, not even one.