God cares about you and me - for the same reason. "God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." 2 Cor 5:21 NLT
You see, even before God had decided to physically give life to you and me, He first made sure that there was light, water, food and all sorts of things that men could possibly need. The story can be found in Genesis 1: 1-28 where God tells us step by step how everything was done.
… The story goes on to say:
…God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”
Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.
Please note that God did not place men into this world before He had prepared in advance, all the necessary conditions. It was after He had finished everything that men could possibly need, that He decided to place mankind into the world.
But the devil was not satisfied with God’s decision and as a result, from that time on, he (the devil) promised to confuse humans just to prove his point to God that it was a bad mistake having us created.
But why did the devil hate humans from the beginning?
Because we were created in God’s own image and likeness, and the devil couldn’t stand the fact that we were / and still are special before our heavenly Father.
So when you see yourself going through trials and difficulties in this world, please know that your are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12
It is clear then that many would be questioning why God allowed the devil to mislead us, causing us to sin before Him, when He could just prevent it from the beginning and save us from all this trouble of hell.
Well, my first approach to it is that, when God created man, He gave him free will - With free will, man was granted the freedom to choose what he wanted to do and how he wanted to live. But the problem with it is that, though we are free to choose, we are never free from the consequences of our choices. Galatians 5:13
And God, being as good as He is, He left clear instructions on how we should live on the land He had prepared for us. And what happened? we did just the opposite to what He had previously instructed us.
So, can we then affirm that it was God's fault, for allowing the devil to trick us? Definitely not. We failed God. We are the one who did not obey Him when we decided to do what He had clearly told us not to.
My dear friends, I know that for some of us, it may be hard to understand, but remember this, God’s way of thinking is beyond human reasoning, for the Scripture tells us in Isaiah 55:8-9 that “His thoughts are nothing like our thoughts”. “And His ways are far beyond anything we could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts…
It was not a surprise to God that the devil would mislead mankind.
But even with that, God had a better plan of salvation for mankind that would take the devil by surprise - the future coming Son of God born of a woman, a virgin woman.
So here is when we see how faithful our loving God is.
Even before the devil had started tricking mankind, God had already planned in advance, his plan of salvation for mankind that, at the right time; He would send His Son to die on the Cross for us so that we could be redeemed from sin and misery.
And how do we get full blessing from God?
By believing in the one He sent and doing as He commands us to. Scripture also tells us in John 15:5 that “Jesus is the Vine and we are the branches. Those who remain in Him, and He in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Christ we can do nothing.”
But then what? Does remaining in Christ and doing as He commands, prevent us from going through problems in this world? You may ask.
The answer is obviously No. Being a prayerful person or doing as He instructs us to, does not make us exempt from the devil’s attacks, but we can live assured that with Jesus as our High Priest and if we remain in Him, we are forever saved; "For Jesus is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through Him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf." Hebrews 7:25
Besides, God never promised us a life free of trouble. But He did promise to be there with us in the dark times and the stormy seas, to give us hope in spite of fear. Just as it is written in John 16:33 saying; "In the world you will have many trials and sorrows. But take courage, I have overcome the world.”
So family in Christ, if things are not where it should be, if things are not well with you right now, have faith and know that it is not the end yet, because in the end, everything will be alright - and if it is not right - then, it is not the end, for "God's plan is to prosper us and not to harm us, to give us hope and a future." So have faith and believe in the Gospel. Love you all and be blessed...
