Genesis 3:4-5 “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

To think, it all started with this lie! The crafty thing about it is that there is some truth in it, but that is twisted for an evil purpose. The eyes of Adam and Eve were opened to good and evil, because until then there had been no evil in mankind. Evil can very simply be defined as anything that violates the character of God. God knows good and evil because He knows what agrees with Him and what doesn’t, not because He has any trace of evil in Him. Mankind learned evil by partaking in it, disobeying God with the expectation of selfish gain. As has been amply demonstrated in the millenia since, it wasn’t gain for mankind at all, but incredible loss. The Big Lie in this is the denial of the consequences of rebellion against God, and that lie is being repeated constantly today. Print, broadcast, and Internet media are all full of it. However, it doesn’t take looking very far beneath the surface to discover what a horrible lie it is, with the cesspool of human depravity and its consequences everywhere in evidence. I can’t escape the conclusion that we really aren’t very bright, to be deceived like that! It’s not that human intelligence is worthless or meaningless, it’s that it is insufficient without faith and the decision to follow God. When we are committed to obedience and trust, we can do remarkable things indeed, but without that commitment we produce things like Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, and the list could go on and on. The most amazing thing about all of this is that God loves us anyway, and has provided for our salvation through the body and blood of His own Son, Jesus Christ. That is Good News indeed.

Of course, I am committed to communicating that Good News (Gospel) to as many as possible, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have to be careful of our lying enemy myself. I have fallen for his tricks more times than I care to think about! I have no standing to look down on anyone, because the same tendency to ignore or directly violate what God says is resident in me. My personal temptations might not be identical to theirs, but yielding to those temptations is equally bad. I am to communicate God’s grace as someone for whom it is absolutely essential, because I would have no hope without it.

Father, there are lots of opportunities to share the Gospel in this Christmas season. Help me not resent the busyness of it all, but make full use of each opportunity You provide, drawing people by Your love out of death into life, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!