Prayer

Our Lord and our God we come before you in prayer now and we give you thanks for this day. We thank you for the world that you have made and all the things that you have given to us. Lord we pray that you would please help us to see this world and even our homes as you see them, that we might be more and more conformed to your will and that we may live in a way that is pleasing to you. Please be merciful to us today. Forgive us for our sins and lead us in your ways. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Reading

Genesis 2:8.

“And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.”

Meditation

Where is home for you? Maybe you’ve lived in the same place most of your life, and it very much feels like home. Maybe you’ve lost count of how many rental places you’ve lived in, and you feel like a nomad in a foreign land. Maybe childhood comes to mind, maybe something else. As we consider Genesis 2, there is a very immediate and practical observation we ought to make. Wherever you live at the moment, the fact remains: your home is a gift from God. We’re going to explore that insight in this meditation.

As look back on Genesis 2 from our standpoint in history, in a sense we’re looking at a lost world of the past. To quote the title of Milton’s great poem, it is: “Paradise Lost.” It’s obvious to say, but still potent: we’re no longer in Eden. But while the bliss and paradise of Eden is lost to you, there is still grace and mercy, because God has made a place for you in this life. You have a place right now, you’re sitting in it. Or walking in it. It’s your home. Now just stop and think about that for a moment. Think about the place where you are living now. That place is a gift from God. It’s a place to live, a place to work, and a place to worship – it’s all a gift from God.

If we were jobless, homeless people, roughing it out on the cold streets of Melbourne tonight, we would have nothing to complain about, because we don’t deserve what we already have. Everything that we have is a gift from God – that’s the point here. Adam didn’t ask for Eden, God gave it to him. Your home is the gift he’s given to you at this time in your life. That may change, it will change eventually, but it is nonetheless true in this moment.

Be ye doers of the word…

Every time you walk through the doors of your house when you get home, don’t take it for granted. That house does not belong to you, you are not entitled to it. It is a gift. Give thanks to God for that give, because he has provided that place for you. Make it a habit every time you walk through your front door to give thanks to God for that house – maybe say it out loud. The word of God says: “Give thanks in all circumstances…

But in addition to cultivating gratitude, remember this as well: you’re not home yet. The paradise that we read about in Eden was lost. Humanity was exiled. But don’t lose hope because of that, because there actually is a pathway back to paradise. Yes, God has given you a home. But as a disciple of Jesus, you are also living in exile. This is why the Bible sometimes describes Christians as pilgrims, because we’re on a journey. We’re not home yet. Our home is not in this life. We look by faith for a city whose designer and builder is God, the New Jerusalem. Yes, your home, the place where you live right now, is a gift from God. But it’s also a temporary residence, because he has a better place in store for you – a mansion, his Father’s house, in which there are many rooms.

So give thanks for your home, but in addition to this: don’t seek paradise in this life. I think we often do that don’t we? We’re often wrapped up in our lives with making life now all we want it to be. We want to build the perfect home, get the perfect job, do all things we want to do, make our home just the way we want it to be. We want to get all the features, decorate it according to our tastes, invest in it, make it ours, and we pour a lot of time into our homes and lifestyles. But always remember that this life, this place, it’s passing away like wind. Don’t seek paradise in this life. Don’t live your life looking for constant fulfillment in the things of this earth. Don’t get wrapped up in your life here. In a sense, we’re like the children of Israel in the wilderness, pilgrims on the way to the promised land, and the things of this life have nothing lasting to offer us. You’re marching to Zion, Christian, and we need to live like that. Live like your dwelling place is still ahead of you because, as a matter of fact, it is. Don’t seek paradise in this life. SDG.

Prayer of Confession & Consecration

Almighty God, we thank you that in the eternal home that you have prepared for us, there are many rooms. And Lord, we look forward to that day when we will at last come to our final home. Lord, help us now not to set our hearts and minds and affections upon the good gifts of this life, but Lord, to look beyond to the life that is to come. Give us an eternal perspective. Oh Lord, forgive us for loving the things of this world. Help us to love you alone instead. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

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