The Garden and the Cross

“The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.” - Genesis 2: 8-9 NKJV

Have you ever imagined what it was like to be with God in the garden of Eden? The garden was no doubt filled with the beauty and glory of God Himself. Think about the lush, green grass crunching beneath your bare feet, blossoms everywhere filling your senses with the most pleasant sights and aromas, fresh fruit just bursting with flavor. Adam and Eve got to live in paradise with their loving Creator. How honored they must have felt to be made in His image. They walked with Him in the utter peace and joy of His presence. This was always God’s desire, that we would be so close to Him we could just reach out and touch Him, and we could just glance up and see the unfathomable depths of His love gazing back at us. As we all know, sin was allowed to enter the earth and God’s perfect paradise changed in an instant. Now He knew man would begin to question His love for Him. Some would even question and deny His very existence. This was not the plan. But God knew it was going to happen. Even so, He put this story into motion because He also knew its outcome. He would get us back. Let the impact of this Scripture sink into your heart: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us.” - Ephesians 1: 3-8 NASB As Jesus hung on the cross in agony, what do you think kept Him going? The Bible says, “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross”. What was the joy set before Him? It was you. He knew that when He completed His mission, the Father would get back His garden. Jesus took our place of punishment so we could take His place and be reunited to God’s heart. Let’s honor the sacrifice of Jesus by letting Him love us. Put yourself aside and simply think of the joy you’ll bring Him. He did not die so that we would be constantly berating ourselves in His name. He died to give you freedom, joy, peace, and the knowledge that no matter what, no matter where you go, His love would be with you. For what can separate us from His love? “I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 8:38-39 NKJV He’s whispering to you today, “Let me love you.” Can you hear it? This Easter, let’s renew our vision of the cross. Let’s see the sacrifice of Jesus in such a powerful way that it washes afresh in His love. “That you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” - Ephesians 3:17-19 NKJV