Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: ALONE (10/20/22)
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TITLE: Alone With God | Previous Challenge Entry
By Doug Laird
10/25/22 -
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The sense of this need for interaction with other human beings varies from one individual to the next.
For some folks, human interaction is something they live for; whereas for others, they can be just as happy with a lot less interaction.
Accordingly, the ringing of the phone or a knock on the door can be a source of hopeful excitement for some, but can be a disturbing annoyance to others.
After God had created Adam, He placed him in perfect environment in the Garden of Eden and gave him meaningful work to do (1).
“Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper (not a contender) suitable for him (Gen. 2: 18 NASB parentheses mine)."
A righteous wife is a gift from God (2), whereas a worldly-oriented wife can weigh a godly man down.
In Christian marriage, husbands are to, “… love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her (Eph. 5: 25 NASB).”
Negligence and abuse of authority on the part of husbands, and or rejection of authority on the part of wives are the root causes of many marital conflicts.
Such conflicts are fueled by the independent, self-centered, and hostile nature in both partners.
The team of horses must work together if the ride in the wagon is going to proceed smoothly.
It was not until after the Fall of Man, when Adam and the woman received this sin nature, that the Gen. 3: 16 principle of marital authority was first imposed.
New Testament Scripture (3) teaches that the principle of marital authority still applies here, in the Church Age.
Marriage is a divine institution (4), but can have its downside (5).
One’s choice of marriage partner, and the type of marriage that is established, will greatly impact the quality of one’s post salvation spiritual life.
Adam apparently loved the woman (Eve) very much, and cherished his relationship with her to the point that he chose to go along with her disobedience by eating the forbidden fruit.
Choosing to favor one’s relationship with people over one’s relationship with God is a recipe for disaster (6).
When Adam and the woman were called to account for themselves (7), Adam blamed their situation on the woman that God gave to him, and Eve blamed it on the serpent that deceived her.
Neither one acknowledged their own culpability; a common trait of our fallen nature.
After being booted out of the garden, they stayed together and began a long line of descendants who would come into this world with a sin nature, separated from God.
They would not be alone, but would share much hardship in contrast to what they had going for themselves in the garden.
They would learn soon enough that being together with what God has to offer will prove to be better than being together while leaving God out of the picture (8).
Marriages end with the physical death of one of the partners, but spending eternity with (9) or without (10) God, lasts forever.
Being without God in the lake of fire will be the greatest sense of loneliness that a human soul will ever experience.
As long as there are other people and activities to occupy our minds and or to distract our attention while here on Earth, the threat of spiritual loneliness (spending eternity alone, separated from God in the lake of fire) can be placed on the back burner.
But what happens at death, when all our early relationships and distractions are taken away?
Physical death is not the time to meet or to get to know our Maker.
Life after death is not the time to develop an intimate relationship with Him.
Life after death should be a continuation of an intimate relationship that began here on Earth the day one is born again, and developed throughout the course of one’s post salvation spiritual life, while here on Earth.
No matter where life here on Earth takes us, advancing disciples will never walk alone (11).
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(1) Gen. 2: 15 (2) Prov. 18: 22 (3) Eph. 5:
22 (4) Heb. 13: 4 (5) 1Cor. 7: 32 – 35 (6) Gen. 3: 17/Luke 14: 26 (7) Gen. 3: 9 (8) Gen. 4 (9) 2Cor.5: 8. (10) Rev. 20: 15 (11) Deut. 31: 5
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and well said.
God Bless~