The Greatest Failure of All
The book of Genesis tells us about the “beginnings.” It tells us how this creation was made and who made it. It tells us that this world was made with an overabundance of life and beauty. It tells us that mankind was made in the “image of God” so that we might have fellowship and interaction with our Creator. In the midst of such greatness and majesty, a darkness creeps into the story. Satan speaks with Adam and Eve. In that fateful meeting, a seed of doubt and mistrust is planted. Satan questions God’s initial commands. Remember that God had given Adam and Eve every tree in the garden except one. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a “testing” tree. God said, “I will allow you to have everything, except this one thing.” God gave the first couple a choice to make, and this choice was to obey or disobey.
At this point, Satan steps in and carefully crafts a lie. The deceiver tells Adam and Eve that since God would not give them everything, He did not want them to have anything. This lie has haunted mankind ever since. We struggle to believe that God really loves us. Because we live in a world that is filled with selfish and sinful people, bad things happen. Evil is all around us. As the darkness surrounds us, we often doubt God’s good intentions. While we have many, many blessings from the hand of God, the lies of Satan cause us to doubt God’s goodness.
It is here that Jesus steps into the picture. He speaks to us and tells us how to pray. In teaching us about prayer, Jesus helps us step into the presence of God. The first thing that must be done as we relate to God is to adore Him. If we cannot praise God, we will find it difficult to trust Him. Developing the ability to praise and trust anyone begins with praising and trusting God. We will never relate well with people if we cannot relate properly with God. Adoration is a medicine that heals our hearts. After our hearts have been poisoned by the lies of Satan, the only thing that restores our heart and our thinking is adoration of God. We could make an endless list of reasons why we should adore and love God, but the question of the day is: Are we going to do it? Will we truly hallow God?
Adoration of God is not only the best response we can have toward our Heavenly Father, it is also the best way to understand how much we are loved by God. Adoration opens our eyes to understand and see how much God loves us. As we adore God, we are reminded of the great mercy He has shown us. Adoration allows us to celebrate the Good News of Jesus. As we are reminded that Jesus came and gave His life to save sinners (you, me, all of us), we can rejoice in God’s amazing grace. Truth be told, every day is a gift from God. Do we stop to embrace that gift? Do we relish each opportunity? It all flows from adoration of God.
To sum up, what is the greatest failure we have in life? The failure to adore God. When I sin, when I choose to live in a way that is contrary to God’s will, I fail to adore God. When I choose to do what I want to do, in opposition to God’s will, I fail to adore God. We can find clarity in life and clarity in purpose when we choose to open our hearts and adore God. Keep looking up!