Where Are You?

After the original and first sin, God walked through the garden and to the man, “Where are you?” After the first murder, God asked Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

We are a conniving ruthless bunch that hides, especially when confronted with our own disobedience.  The only strength we seem capable of conjuring up is to be defensive about our own disobedience and determination to do it.  Except when we are confronted with God Himself.  Everything changes when that happens. 

Adam’s response to God was weak.  He tells God why he is hiding, but immediately blames the woman.  He is, at least, talking honestly with God.  This is more than Cain does.  Cain doesn’t tell the truth.  So from Adam’s sin to Cain’s sin, man has eroded to not telling God the truth, but to being defiantly determined in his lies.  For Adam, the presence of God was enough for him to speak openly to Him.  For Cain, only the power of God caused him to plead for mercy. 

We are hardheaded.  We want our way.  We want to determine what will make us happy.  We prefer not to be disciplined and to not sacrifice.  We prefer for others to serve us.  We want to rule ourselves.  We don’t want anyone telling us what to do.  …  How very childish we are!

From the beginning, man was unable to not do the one thing God instructed him not to do.  Man has the internal spirit whose desire is to be its own authority and to not desire God above himself.  The only way to overcome that is to have a new spirit.  Fortunately, God thought about that.  How can we not be what we are?  How can we be something different?  How can we do what we know is right?  Only by allowing God’s Spirit to rule ours.  Only by submitting to what we know is right through His Word.  This is accepting God’s authority over our perceived authority (which really doesn’t exist). 

If we want to be different than Adam, then we need to be in God’s presence at all times.  We need God’s Spirit to have dominion over our mind and hand as it reasons to sin or acts to do it.  If we want to be different than Cain, then we need to beg for the grace and power of God to so change our ability to sin that we can’t do it.  We must plead for God to conquer our desires with His strength.  Adam can walk with God and be a new man; Cain must be conquered by God.

Which heart do I have today?  I pray that my heart is as Adam’s, seeking to walk with God, to simply be in His presence and all is well, for His presence to complete me.  If there is a part of my heart as Cain’s, I pray for God to crush it to dust so that it no longer exists.  May there be no part within me that offends the presence of Almighty God.  Amen.