The Curse of Eden
I’ve been a bit stressed out at work lately. Things are getting more and more hectic.
Heck. Let's be honest, I've been stressed at work since 1989.
The curse on my laptop was on my Windows 386 PC and on the adding machine before that. That's because the curse came in the garden of Eden. God's response to the sins of Adam and Eve, was to remove them from the garden of Eden. He sent them away from the joyful life He created for them, a life of tending a beautiful garden.
So Holy, so pure, is the Lord, Our God, that He will not tolerate sin in His presence. So Adam and Eve were sent out of God's garden and sentenced to a lifetime of hard soil and toil, stress-filled work and eating wild plants to get by.
But Jesus,... (I kind want to change the name of my blog to "But Jesus,...")
Fast forward several thousand years - depending on your personal views on carbon-dating.
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:22
Jesus, the Messiah, was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was a few hours after he had eaten dinner in the Upper Room with his disciples. He was so overwhelmed at the thought of what he had to do over the coming few days that He wept before the Lord in prayer. He cried out to God and such was his distress that He sweated drops of blood. "Oh Father", He begged him to take it away. This is a true example of anxiety.
There are days at work when I want to run away. There are days when I ask God for more help to get through. But then I remember Jesus has already helped me through this shift. When He sweat drops of blood and died on the cross for us, He broke the curse on our work. He set us free from the curse and he released us from anxiety and fear. Instead, He gave us peace and encouragement.
Praise Jesus. Hallelujah!!!
We no longer have to work while filled with fear and anxiety. Through the blood of Jesus we are clean, the curse is broken, my laptop is blessed and work is calm and productive.
My joy is in the Lord. Stress and anxiety are gone. They lost their power when Jesus took it away from them. Any anxious thoughts are a lie. Listen to the One who speaks the truth.
I'm looking for a way to super glue this into my brain. Note to self: Bookmark this page.
“4 Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, take pleasure in Him]; again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentle spirit [your graciousness, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance, and patience] be known to all people. The Lord is near.
6 Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.
7 And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].
”
Image credit: Adam and Eve Eating the Forbidden Fruit, Willem Vrelant c1460
A poster featuring this image and the following text is available at https://brightncheeryposters.etsy.com. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:22
