The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may freely eat of every tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”
Genesis 2:15-17
God creates man and puts him in the garden. He gives him two jobs: to till and keep it. Man is to work the garden so that it produces fruit, but also must guard and protect it. God does not tell man what he must protect the garden from, but it tells us that there is a threat to paradise, there is an evil outside of physical creation.
God then gives Adam incredible freedom. He may eat of any tree in the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. When God had the world just as he wanted it, there was only one rule. God is a God of freedom not enslavement.
This week we celebrate the freedom we enjoy in the United States. Our freedom comes from God. Thank God today that he gives us this freedom. Pray for the grace to live in his freedom and to use this freedom to serve and love others.