Your Way or God's Way?

"And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons." (Genesis 3:7).


     When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden by eating of the fruit from the tree He specifically told them not to, sin entered into the world. When they partook of this fruit, their eyes were opened, and they realized they had sinned. They were aware that they were naked, and they found fig leaves and sewed them together to make aprons to cover themselves.  No doubt, they felt very good about their aprons. I'm sure they thought they had done a really good job in covering their shame and nakedness, but look at this verse:


"Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them." (Genesis 3:21).

   
     So, why did God make coats of skin to cover their nakedness? They had already covered themselves with their aprons that they had made from fig leaves, so was an additional covering needed?  Well, those leaves would have only been temporary. They would have withered and dried up and crumbled to the ground. The wind could have blown them away. The rain could have washed them away. However, the main reason for God making coats of skins is found in this verse:

"And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission." (Hebrews 8:22).


     Adam and Eve's feeble attempt to cover their shame was just that...a 
feeble attempt. Their way was not God's way. Their way was not enough. 
They tried, but they failed. Blood had to be shed to make those animal skins 
to cover their sins and shame. It's always been about the blood. Man's attempt to cover sin never has and never will accomplish anything. God saw that man could not atone for sin on his own, so He sent His only son, Jesus, to shed His blood, to bleed and die on a cross for our sins. His blood covers and cleanses us from all sin. We can't be good enough to cover our sins. We can't do enough good deeds to cover our sins. Baptism won't forgive our sins. Attending church won't forgive our sins. Nothing we can do on our  own will be sufficient to forgive our sins. It has always taken the blood, and it will always take the blood of Jesus


"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."  (Proverbs 14:12). 

      Our way of doing things never works out. It never pays off. It never accomplishes anything good. God's way is the only way we should be going after. His way is best. Let's stop trying to cover our sins ourselves. There is no forgiveness without the blood. There is no life in Christ without the blood. 

     In Jonah 4, we find the story where Jonah went to Ninevah after being swallowed by the great fish for disobeying God's commands. Look at this verse:   


"So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city." (Jonah 4:5).

     Jonah had told the people of the city that God would destroy them for their sins. However, in the meantime, they had repented, so God decided not to destroy them. Jonah still thought maybe God would destroy them, so this verse says he made a booth to sit under to watch the destruction take place.  He worked on this booth, and no doubt was happy with this booth. I'm sure he took pride in his craftsmanship.  Now, look at this verse:

"And the Lord God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd." (Jonah 4:6)

     So, if Jonah's booth had been a sufficient shelter for him, why did God make a gourd to grow up to be a shadow over him to deliver him from his grief, and why was he glad about the gourd?  The reason is that his way wasn't good enough. His attempt wasn't enough. His labor wasn't sufficient. 

     Frank Sinatra sang the song, "I Did It My Way". This seems to be the way the world thinks. Everyone wants everything done their way. They want everything catered to them the way they want it, when they want it, just because they want it. It is difficult sometimes to hand over that control to someone else to do things the way they see best. That is why so many do not want God to do things the way He sees best. 

     We should always trust God to be our covering. our attempts will not satisfy us...ever!  Only God can satisfy us. Only God can cover us. Trust God today to be your covering and make the choice right now to allow Him to be your All-Sufficient One. You will never be disappointed!