May 7, 2026:

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“And God said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?‘ The man said, ‘The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.’ Then the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?‘ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’ So the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because ….’”

(Genesis 3.11-14a)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

We spend a lot of time blaming others for our poor decisions. We easily claim our innocence because of someone else’s guilt.

STOP: Jesus came to resolve our guilt with His innocence. He didn’t lay blame on anyone. He didn’t try to reconcile or justify the fault of others and their will to choose sin over righteousness. He confronted others with the sins of their choice. He would redirect false understandings about it by simply pointing out the personal responsibility to participate in sinful behavior and convince others it was righteousness. He put Himself in our place so that we could share in His. He was trying to take God’s place in our lives but return us back to Him who loves us so much that He would sacrifice His own Son and redeem us from a broken world and call us home.

CONTINUE: Adam blamed God for giving him Eve. He might as well have blamed himself and should have. She was a part of him just as they were a part of God created in His own image and brought to life with His own breath. He failed to stand the gap. He didn’t have to possess all knowledge, all wisdom or speak with the tongues of angels and/or man. All he had to do was love: love God, love her as if to love himself. Love finds a way. Maybe he didn’t really know the power love can have in trials, tribulations, temptations, peace and prosperity.

And Eve? Eve blamed the Serpent, saying, “He deceived me and made me think I could eat and be a true and independent woman.” No, she didn’t say all that. Others might want such things to be heard. No, she simply said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” It was a simple confession that she did not lean on Adam. He was standing right there. She did not search for answers in his eyes, in his words, she didn’t even reach out to him for comfort or strength. She stood alone and fell into the deception. “All that glitters is not gold.”

The Serpent? He just existed. Called out by God, he had nothing more to offer. He had been in this position before in the court of Heaven above. It was an act of insurrection, an obedience to his own dark heart having believed in his own deception that he should be equal with God. Worse, he believed that he should be God. There were no questions asked of him, only consequences. Those consequences were not his alone. Because… of his disobedience, true to his dark nature, the consequence of his sin against God were shared by Adam and Eve.

And us? The lesson to be learned is “refuse to blame.” Blame may well be the sign of a weakness to be obedient; worse when the consequence is shared because it cannot be passed on to others. As Christ followers, we must blame only ourselves for not following the truth and lessons that it teaches. The truth was made most visible by Jesus who is the Christ, Son of God and Son of Man. He demonstrates the very nature of both so that, in His words, “If you have seen Me, then you have seen the Father, and that is enough.” It should be enough for us to put our faith, hope and trust in God alone. His vested interest is in our best interest. When faced with temptations and trials and tribulations and confrontations and momentary lack of good judgment, take responsibility to make it better and more sublime. Confess what was wrong in you. Profess what will be right with you and all with whom you have shared the blame and the refusal for being better.

TODAY’S PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.