20th May 2026

The Tree

“But of the tree of the knowledge

of good and evil you shall not eat …”

Genesis 2:17

Today's Bible Reading: Genesis 2:15-17.

In the midst of Eden’s perfection stood one forbidden tree. It was not there because God was cruel, but because God is worthy of willing obedience. Adam lived in a paradise overflowing with goodness, provision, and fellowship with God. Yet the Lord gave one command: “of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat” (Genesis 2:17)

This tree stood as a test of trust. Would Adam joyfully submit to God’s authority, believing that God alone defines what is good and right? Without a command, there could be no obedience; without a choice, no willing love. Without free will there could be no meaningful obedience, devotion, or worship offered freely to God. God did not create Adam as a machine, but as a moral creature responsible to obey His Creator.

The tree also reminded Adam that he was not sovereign. Though he ruled over creation, he himself remained under God’s rule. To eat from the tree was to reject God’s wisdom and seek independence — deciding good and evil for himself rather than trusting the Lord.

Sadly, Adam failed, and through sin came death and judgement. Yet where the first Adam disobeyed in a garden, the Lord Jesus Christ obeyed perfectly, even unto death on the cross. Through Him, sinners who have rebelled against God can be forgiven and reconciled to Him. The tree in Eden reminds us that true life, blessing, and joy are found not in independence from God, but in trusting and obeying Him.

Prayer: Lord God, teach me joyful obedience and trusting submission to Your will. In Jesus' name I ask. Amen.

19th May 2026

The After Affects

“Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “

Where are you?”

 Genesis 3:9

Today's Bible Reading: Genesis 3:7-10.

Genesis 3, illustrates very clearly how no one is never quite the same after they have knowingly sinned. Notice Adam and Eve's sin occured after God had instructed them not to eat from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:16-17). But, as we know, they disobeyed. Nobody had to tell them they had done wrong—they knew! Why? Because now they looked at things differently than they had before (v 10); a sense of wrong rushed in on them immediately. Just moments before, all had been friendly, happy and joyful. All of nature seemed obedient to their every wish, and life was good. Suddenly, however, they felt guilt, fear and shame, it seemed as if every creature in the Garden had witnessed their act and condemned them. Feeling exposed, they sought to hide themselves, illustrating that separation from the purity of God began immediately, and the virtue of their innocence began to wane.

Sin creates a sense of estrangement from God, the Bible calls it separation from God (Isaiah 59:2), leaving a tarnishing stain on a person's mind. We can also see the result of sin in the illustration of a child. Most children are adorable and we love to see the beauty of their innocence. But something happens on their journey to adulthood? Sin changes them. Sin alters the way a person looks at life and the world. With maturity, people become distrustful, sophisticated, competitive, cosmopolitan, cynical, suspicious, sarcastic, prejudiced, and self-centred. It is sin that drives people apart and creates fear, and separates us from God.

The only way mankind can be redeemed from the clutches of sin is through Jesus Christ. By His work on the cross, He has atoned for our sins – Jesus is the answer! Have you put your trust in Him, or are you still separated from God by your sins?

Prayer: Father, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus, to do what had to be done to brake down the wall of sin that separates mankind from You. I bless You in His wonderful name. Amen.

18th May 2026

Spiritually Blind And Deaf

“The god of this world has blinded

the minds of them which do not believe.

 2 Corinthians 4:4 

Today's Bible Reading: Matthew 11:25-30.

When a spacecraft returns from its orbital flight, there’s a blackout period when all communications are broken, caused by intense heat generated by the spacecraft’s reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere. The Bible teaches that man is in a period of spiritual blackout. Spiritually, he is blind. The Bible says: “We grope for the wall like the blind” (Isaiah 59:10); And in 2 Corinthians 4:4, “The god of this world has blinded the minds of them which do not believe.”

Man is also deaf spiritually. The Bible says: “They have ears to hear, and hear not” (Ezekiel 12:2). Furthermore, the Lord Jesus said, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:31). Spiritually, humans are even “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1).

All of this means that the communication between God and man is broken. There is a wonderful world of joy, light, harmony, peace, and satisfaction to which millions of people know nothing about because they are spiritually blind and deaf. They search for serenity, they long for happiness, but they never quite seem to find it, something is always missing.

Many give up the search and surrender to pessimism. Often their despondency leads to frantic rounds of alcohol, drugs, distractions through entertainment, and the practice of immorality, completely ignoring God on their desperate search to find an escape from sin-blighted existence. But God is always there, speaking, beckoning and calling. He sends forth His message of love, but we must be on the right wavelength. We must be willing to receive His message and then to obey it. The Lord Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Prayer: Merciful God, thank You that when I was lost in spiritual blindness and deafness, you came and spoke peace to my soul. In Christ's name. Amen.