“Earn all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can.” – John Wesley
Genesis 3:1–24 (NRSVue) The First Sin and Its Punishment
3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die, 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.” 14 The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you among all animals
and among all wild creatures;
upon your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman
and between your offspring and hers;
he will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel.”
16 To the woman he said,
“I will make your pangs in childbirth exceedingly great;
in pain you shall bring forth children,
yet your desire shall be for your husband,
and he shall rule over you.”
17 And to the man he said,
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
about which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread
until you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”
20 The man named his wife Eve because she was the mother of all living. 21 And the Lord God made garments of skins for the man and for his wife and clothed them.
22 Then the Lord God said, “See, the humans have become like one of us, knowing good and evil, and now they might reach out their hands and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever”—23 therefore the Lord God sent them forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which they were taken. 24 He drove out the humans, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life.
Reflections:
Prayer: Teach us to trust you, God. Help us use our freedom of will to allow you to be the only God in our lives. Help us to resist what is “pleasing to the eye” so that your will might be done. Amen.
Genesis 3:1–24 (NRSVue) The First Sin and Its Punishment
3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die, 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.” 14 The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you among all animals
and among all wild creatures;
upon your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman
and between your offspring and hers;
he will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel.”
16 To the woman he said,
“I will make your pangs in childbirth exceedingly great;
in pain you shall bring forth children,
yet your desire shall be for your husband,
and he shall rule over you.”
17 And to the man he said,
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
about which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread
until you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”
20 The man named his wife Eve because she was the mother of all living. 21 And the Lord God made garments of skins for the man and for his wife and clothed them.
22 Then the Lord God said, “See, the humans have become like one of us, knowing good and evil, and now they might reach out their hands and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever”—23 therefore the Lord God sent them forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which they were taken. 24 He drove out the humans, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life.
Reflections:
- If I am honest with myself, how do I answer the question, “Do I live as ‘my own’?”
- With what three areas of my life do I have difficulty trusting God?
Prayer: Teach us to trust you, God. Help us use our freedom of will to allow you to be the only God in our lives. Help us to resist what is “pleasing to the eye” so that your will might be done. Amen.
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Introducing the Wesley Prayer ChallengeWesley Prayer Challenge, Day 1: "I AM ..."Wesley Prayer Challenge, Day 2: “… NO LONGER MY OWN …”Wesley Prayer Challenge, Day 3: “… BUT THINE.”Wesley Prayer Challenge, Day 4: “PUT ME TO WHAT THOU WILT …”Wesley Prayer Challenge, Day 5: “… RANK ME WITH WHOM THOU WILT.”Wesley Prayer Challenge, Day 6: “PUT ME TO DOING, …”Wesley Prayer Challenge, Day 7: “… PUT ME TO SUFFERING.”Wesley Prayer Challenge, Day 8: “LET ME BE EMPLOYED BY THEE OR LAID ASIDE FOR THEE, …”What is CRESP?Haymount Kids July 2024Pastor's Column July 2024Wesley Prayer Challenge, Day 9: “… EXALTED FOR THEE OR BROUGHT LOW FOR THEE.”Wesley Prayer Challenge, Day 10: “Let Me Be Full, …”Wesley Prayer Challenge, Day 11: “… LET ME BE EMPTY.”Wesley Prayer Challenge, Day 12: “LET ME HAVE ALL THINGS, …”Wesley Prayer Challenge, Day 13: “… LET ME HAVE NOTHING.”Wesley Prayer Challenge, Day 14: “I FREELY AND HEARTEDLY YIELD ALL THINGS TO THY PLEASURE AND DISPOSAL.”Wesley Prayer Challenge, Day 15: “AND NOW, O GLORIOUS AND BLESSED GOD, …”Wesley Prayer Challenge, Day 16: “… Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, …”Wesley Prayer Challenge, Day 17: “… THOU ART MINE, AND I AM THINE.”Wesley Prayer Challenge, Day 18: “SO BE IT.”The DiapasonEnd of year report for 2023Wesley Prayer Challenge, Day 19: “AND THE COVENANT WHICH I HAVE MADE ON EARTH, …”Wesley Prayer Challenge, Day 20: “… LET IT BE RATIFIED IN HEAVEN.”Wesley Prayer Challenge, Day 21: “AMEN.”
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