What Is Easter All About?Sample

Things Started to Get Bad

In today’s reading from Genesis, you’ll learn the first humans were called Adam and Eve. God gave them a world full of freedom, but also one thing they couldn’t do. Why did He do that? It was so that they were able to walk away from God if they chose. He also told them what the consequence would be if they chose to walk away: death. Why? Because God is life, so apart from Him, there’s no life to be found. That’s just how it is. 

So, why did God make humans with the ability to choose—even if it meant we could choose wrong over right? 

God gave us choice because that’s what love does. Love never forces itself. And God is love. The book of James says that everything that’s good flows from Him. He created us to be in a beautiful friendship with Him forever—if we want. But we messed it up. 

Spoiler alert: Adam and Eve chose to do what they were asked not to do. When they did, they felt shame for the first time ever. God didn’t want them to ever have to experience that, but that’s what sin does. It brings death to our joy and freedom. It brings death to our relationship with God. It hurts. It costs us all. It’s the cause of hurt to our planet, to one another, and to ourselves. It’s our own sin, our own walking away from what God said is right, that brought death into the world. 

Today, Jason will share a little more of his story with you. He will explain another picture of what it feels like to know you’re cut off from something you love. 

Poor little 6-year-old Jason experienced his first understanding of the loss that death causes. Have you ever lost someone close to you? It’s a life-changing thing to go through. God doesn’t like that one bit. He created this beautiful world for humans to share with Him. 

God saw that we had twisted up His plan so much that we couldn’t possibly untangle it. He started spreading the word to His prophets that He was going to send someone to fix it all. We’re getting closer to Easter! You’ll read more about that tomorrow. 

Ask yourself: If I made a robot and programmed it to say “yes” every time I ask it if it loves me, does that mean it really loves me? What are some of the differences between me and a robot? 

Pray: God, thank You for allowing us to choose to love You. Thank You for caring so much about what we think that You don’t force us to love you—even though we should love You! That kind of love is hard for me to understand. Help me to understand more and more about You and Your love every day of my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.