God’s Portion
In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Luke 15:10
Our Sunday school teacher brought out a very important fact yesterday. Think of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They were given all the trees in the garden for food except two. I think there must have been several thousands of trees! God gave them the greater portion and kept only two trees that they were not to eat from. Sin came in, yes, when Adam and Eve ate from the trees, but the real sin was when they decided in their hearts that they wanted God’s portion as well as their own.
God gave us a lot of leeway in our Christian walk. There are lots of things that we can do. He has given us the whole garden except for a couple of things that He knows is harmful to us and to our walk with Him. I have to ask myself if I am satisfied with the large portion that God has given me, or do I desire the very small number of things that God has asked us not to do? If we are focusing on the good fruit of the victorious Christian walk, then we are not longing for the spiritually unhealthy fruit of disobedience.
Idolatry is not about putting other things before God as much as it is elevating self and self-desires above God’s commandments. Idolatry is craving God’s portion as well as the portion that He has given us.