God made the world and later made man, whom He named Adam, to live in it. God gave Adam dominion over everything, except one – the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Contrary to what many think, this tree wasn’t there to tempt Adam; it was God’s way of receiving love from him.
The Bible lets us know God loves man very much. But love does not only give, it also has the capacity to receive. It may not make a demand but it opens up to receive, and when love is stopped from receiving, it may be quenched. God gave everything to man but demanded from him not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but man couldn’t keep his end of the bargain. Before then, man didn’t have to suffer to eat bread because God had already put everything he needed in the garden. But after his disobedience, God said, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread…” (Genesis 3:19).
When Adam and Eve ate that forbidden fruit, God looked beyond the breaking of His commandment and saw a lack of love in their action. The Lord Jesus said in John 14:21: “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” If they had kept God’s commandment it would have been enough proof of their love, but they didn’t.
The proof of your love is keeping His Word. God has given you everything you’ll ever need, the only thing He asks of you is to reciprocate His love by keeping His Word. So you see, the only way you prove your love for God is obeying His voice. But when you refuse to hearken to instructions, you wound and quench love, and love brings forth judgment when it is quenched.
