Introductory Thoughts
The garden in Eden was a trouble-free environment for its inhabitants, a literal earthly paradise. Adam and Eve were given one basic commandment to obey. They were told not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Interestingly, up until this point, they only knew good. The Devil knew this and deviously crept into the garden. He wanted to tempt Eve with the fruit from this forbidden tree. He convinced her that that tree would enable her to know both good and evil. Eve already had the ability to discern, though severely limited based on the limited number of choices available. She certainly could have refused the temptation choosing rather to obey the Lord. God had given Adam and Eve everything needed to be successful in the garden including the ability to do right. Eve’s desire to know good and evil prompted her to overlook the fact that she already had been given the gift of discernment.
Devotional Thoughts
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(For children): Making wrong choices produces bad results. In addition to getting in trouble, what else could happen if you disobediently run in your home or at church, jump on furniture, or talk ugly to someone?
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(For everyone): What were the consequences resulting from Adam and Eve not using their God-given ability to discern? Are there consequences for us today when we fail to use discernment? What might they be?
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Do you make choices without using godly discernment? Do you rush to a decision without thinking through the potential consequences? What changes could you make in order to use discernment?
Prayer Thoughts
- Ask God to show you the importance of godly discernment..
- Ask God to clearly reveal the times when you are not discerning as you ought..
Song
YIELD NOT TO TEMPTATION
