Day 4: Pleasing to the eye
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it (Genesis 3:6).
Father God, You are good and upright; therefore You instruct sinners in Your ways (Psalm 25:8). The psalmist said, You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed (Psalm 119:4)
Human parents understand the need to safeguard their children from dangers they cannot understand—how much more so a perfect God of infinite knowledge and wisdom! Your servant Moses tried to convey this to the people You called him to lead:
What does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear [regard in holy awe and reverence] the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to Him, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? (Deuteronomy 10:12-13).
Yet, too often, like Adam and Eve, we depend on our own limited vision, and defer to alternative philosophies and arguments that confirm what seems to us good for food and pleasing to the eye. But You alone are God, and only You know the hidden dangers, toils and snares all around us—the smoke and mirrors of this world that appeal to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16).
Father, give us the wisdom, the discernment, and the courage we need to resist temptation. Strengthen our faith, our confidence, and our trust in You. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, and dedication to prayer and study, keep us grounded in the surety of Your truth, Your trustworthiness, and Your goodness.
By Your divine will and matchless power You have preserved and authenticated Your word as an unfailing defense against the age-old attack "Did God really say...?" (Genesis 3:1). In it You tell us that There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25).
Adam and Eve, and countless others since, have discovered that reality in devastating ways—ways pertaining to the very soul of humanity. But through the Lord Jesus, You have provided the way that leads to life: In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality (Proverbs 12:28).
So today, Lord, we pray for those around us who are enticed by beguiling appeals and deceitful schemes that have but one end—to steal, kill and destroy. Open unsuspecting eyes to deceptive philosophies and beliefs—the potluck delicacies of the world—disguised as desirable for gaining wisdom but instead delivering death.
We pray for our children, we pray for our young people. We pray for those who were running well, but are now hindered from obeying the truth (Galatians 5:7 - ESV). We pray for those who naively or defiantly entrust their souls to imperfect human authorities and to powers, arguments and pretensions that set themselves up above the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Oh Lord, through our prayers and our labor in Your harvest field, draw them into the safeguards of Your great mercy.
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