While giving self a lecture on the foolishness of allowing trivial matters to interrupt my fellowship with the Lord, I suddenly had a mental picture of the lush garden called Eden where Adam and his wife Eve enjoyed fellowship with the Creator.

In this ideal setting the couple lived in peace, taking care of the garden. They had only one prohibition: do not eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Disobedience would result in death.

Since God provided an abundance of food, hunger would never be a problem.

The Tempter came in the form of a serpent, eager to spoil the scene. He questioned Eve about God’s command and distorted the meaning of God’s intention. He suggested if she ate the forbidden fruit, she would not die but become wise like God.

“When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” (see Genesis 3).

I wonder if Eve would have given the tree more than a passing glance, had not the Tempter focused attention on it.

Hunger was not the problem; the problem was focus.

It's hard to believe something that seemed so trivial caused the human race to be tainted with sin. Click To Tweet

It’s hard to believe something that seemed so trivial—a bite of fruit—caused the human race to be tainted with sin and alienated from God…tragic results from what appears to be a minor incident.

The act represented deliberate disobedience to God’s command.

Adam and Eve were not puppets, responding as God manipulated the strings. He gave them the privilege of choice. If they obeyed him, it would be because they chose to obey, not because he forced them.

Freedom of choice operates when alternatives exist.

Freedom of choice operates when alternatives exist. Click To Tweet

The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil provided the point of testing. Adam and Eve faced a choice: to obey God or to disobey. Their wrong choice proved to be a costly mistake.

The pair had walked and talked with the Lord God. After giving in to temptation, when they heard his voice they tried to hide. He knew where they were and what they had done. He rejected their feeble excuses, expelled them from the garden, and sentenced them to a life of pain and toil.

As I finished lecturing self, two words lingered in my thinking: trivial…minor. When the Tempter can’t entice me to commit a shocking offense, he presents little choices, seemingly insignificant—pride, anger, bitterness, unforgiving spirit, negativism. He whispers, “How could such a small thing matter to God?”

Trivial…minor…little…insignificant…small.

Note to self: when you hear those words, determine who’s voice is speaking before making a choice. Nothing is worth the cost of broken fellowship with God.

Trivial…minor…little…insignificant…small. Note to self: when you hear those words, determine who's voice is speaking before making a choice. Click To Tweet

Please tell me if you’ve struggled with trivial stuff sidetracking your walk with the Lord. And share this post with your friends!

(Adapted from Cabbages and Kings–Reflections on Living Abundantly in Christ)

© Dianne Barker 2018