Read: Genesis 3:1–7 | Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 27–29; Titus 3
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith. 1 Corinthians 16:13
My desk sits close to a window that opens into our neighborhood.
From that vantage point I’m privileged to watch birds perch on the trees
nearby. Some come to the window to eat insects trapped in the screen.
The birds check their immediate surroundings for any danger, listening attentively as they look about them. Only when they are satisfied that there is no danger do they settle down to feed. Even then, they pause every few seconds to scan the area.
The vigilance these birds demonstrate reminds me that the Bible
teaches us to practice vigilance as Christians. Our world is full of
temptations, and we need to remain constantly alert and not forget about
the dangers. Like Adam and Eve, we easily get entangled in attractions
that make the things of this world seem “good for food and pleasing to
the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom” (Gen. 3:6).
“Be on your guard,” Paul admonished, “stand firm in the faith” (1 Cor. 16:13). And Peter cautioned, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
The birds check their immediate surroundings for any danger, listening attentively as they look about them. Only when they are satisfied that there is no danger do they settle down to feed. Even then, they pause every few seconds to scan the area.
“Be on your guard,” Paul admonished, “stand firm in the faith” (1 Cor. 16:13). And Peter cautioned, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
Lord, keep us from the secret sins and selfish reactions we’re so naturally inclined toward. By Your grace, turn our temptations into moments of growth in Christlikeness.
INSIGHT:
In Genesis 3, the serpent twists what God has said to Adam and
Eve about the fruit in the garden. Rather than directly challenge what
God has said, the serpent exaggerates the claim by asking if God
commanded no eating from any tree (v. 1). This distortion on
the part of the serpent elicits a similar response from Eve. Instead of
responding with God’s own words (see the example of Jesus’s
confrontation with Satan in the wilderness in Matthew 4), Eve adds to
His words. After rightly correcting that it is only from the tree in the
middle of the garden that they may not eat, she adds the prohibition
that they may not “touch” the tree (Gen. 3:3).
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