Good Morning.
“Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.” (Genesis 2:15)
In the beginning, God gave mankind two primary commands regarding his tenure in the garden — “tend and keep it.” More literally these words mean that he was work it and guard it. There were specific things that he was to do in order for the garden to function according to the Creator’s design AND that included guarding, protecting what had been entrusted to him.
That he was commanded to guard it suggests that there was something or someone that he was to protect it from — obviously the Adversary who appeared in the guise of a serpent. Understanding that the serpent did find his way into the midst of the garden, we can conclude that Adam failed to perform the latter duty.
Too many times we get focused on our Kingdom work so intently, that we forget to guard the work from the wiles of the Adversary. When we let our guard down, the Adversary is able to sneak in wreak havoc. Therefore, we must guard diligently that which has been entrusted to us — our relationship with God, our family, our ministry — or else the work may come to nothing.
Yes, we must do the work of the Kingdom and occupy until the Messiah comes. But perhaps we should be just as committed to defending what we’re commissioned to work on while we’re waiting for Messiah’s return.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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