“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sin,” (Eph 2:1)

 I went outside to our rabbitry early yesterday morning, and  saw one of our energetic bunnies curled up in their basket.  At first, I thought it was asleep, but on  closer inspection, I noticed it was not breathing.  Aparently, it had died during the night.  Its small, fluffy white, body lay lifeless. I felt a bit sad because we  were all starting to bond with her. 

She had been snuggling with her mother, for the last couple of  days since she started hopping out of their nesting box.  I also felt sad for the mother. Her little bunny would no longer be hopping around or suckling at her breast. "How is she feeling about this?" I wondered.   Like  this little bunny, we were all dead; dead in sin and 'lifeless' to God the Father. This death separated man from God, making  him  hostile and unresponsive to Him.   When He place man in the  beautiful garden of Eden,  He gave him one simple and clear instruction: 

“You may eat freely from every tree of the garden,   but you must not eat from the tree of the  knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”

  Rather than obey God's instruction, Adam and  his wife Eve decided to listen to the serpent instead.  They chose to eat from that very tree because they believed it to be better for them (Gen 3). In instructing them thus however, the Lord God was revealing that in making man, He had given him(and her) a most powerful gift: the ability or power to choose.  It is  still inconceiveable as to why He took  this decision, except for one reason: love.  

The Scriptures tell us that perfect love casts out all fear (1John 4:18).  The Father's love for man made Him fearless in allowing him the freedom to choose.   It was God's gift of love to man.    The result of that decision. as most of us know,   was fatal.  Man betrayed this trust by listening to and obeying the serpent.   So in choosing to love us,  the Lord God lost His most treasured creation.  Man  died and was separated from Him spiritually.  But instead of allowing man to eternally face the consequences of his choice, the Almighty  God  stepped in again.  He offered up His only begotten Son as a ransom for man's sin (John 3:16). No other sacrifice could have redeemed man from this death and destruction.  What a wonderful, selfless, undeserving, and unconditional love!

Who would be brave enough to take a second chance on someone so conceited, unworthy, and unappreciative?  Only God  could, and still does.  His love for you and me is wreckless! This  same love was  graciously shared abroad  in our hearts when we believed and received His gift of salvation.   He did this so we could continuously respond to His love  and  release that love towards others. 

From this love also, springs our capacity to love, care for, and raise the lovely children He has given us! Furthermore,  his love is not limited to here and now; it has gone  beyond  to prepare  a better place for us  to live after this sin-filled earth is destroyed. What a love!  How has this love impacted your life?

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