A Pilgrim's Journal

	17 And unto Adam he [God] said, Because thou hast hearkened unto
	the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I
	commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the
	ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days
	of thy life;
 
	18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and
	thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
 
	19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return
	unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art,
	and unto dust shalt thou return.
 
	   Genesis 3
   
  
	Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities;
	all is vanity.
	   Ecclesiastes 1:2
   
   
	18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are
	not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed
	in us.
  
	19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the
	manifestation of the sons of God.
  
	20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly,
	but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
  
	21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the
	bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children
	of God.
  
	22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth
	in pain together until now.
  
	23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the
	firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within
	ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of
	our body.
  
	   Romans 8
  
  
	Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth,
	that shall he also reap.
	   Galatians 6:7
  
	Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father
	in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
	   Ephesians 5:20

When Adam was first created, he was given much. He was given a planet to live on, dominion over it, fellowship with God, a wife and hope of a future family, and blessings of every sort.

If anyone was worthy of being envied, it was probably Adam. And I'm assuming that Satan did envy him. For what happened next? Nothing less than the deception, trickery, and usurpation of Godly authority over the world. When Adam decided to obey sin instead of God, he became a servant of sin. And sin has none of the blessings that God does.

God allowed this to happen, but note what happens next. Authority changed hands through trickery and sin, but when it did, what did Satan get? Did he get the same blessed world that Adam had? Nope. He ended up with a world of vanity, a world of death, a world that was cursed.

Isn't that the same today? If a woman usurps her husband's authority, does she not receive a cursed home? If a man disobeys Christ and does not love his wife as himself, does he not receive a cursed home? If a man steals a car or robs a bank, does he not end up under the curse of the law, with goods he cannot easily use? If an employee deals treacherously with his employer, does he not live under the dread of getting fired, and eventually the reality of it? The blessed thing we covet, when ill-gotten, turns into a curse in our hands. The shine is lost, the pleasure is gone, and it comes with a load of work and worry. Stolen grass is never as green under your own feet compared to when it was under your neighbour's feet.

So when Jesus says:

	And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things
	that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.
	And they marvelled at him.
	   Mark 12:17

Isn't that a damning statement? For what does Caesar have dominion over? He can only rule over the cursed world, the world that is vanity, the world that is dying, the world that has no future.

Praise God! For even in the midst of our rebellion, even in our punishment, even in the midst of the curse that we rightly receive for our own sin, God is working for our good in the future. He has a plan to redeem! The world that Satan stole dominion over is now wasting away, and it will eventually pass away. But there comes a new heaven and a new earth for the children of God, the servants of obedience.

	And we know that all things work together for good to them that
	love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
	   Romans 8:28

So in obedience to Ephesians 5:20, I thank God for the curse. I thank Him that in His wisdom, He is reserving marvelous good things for us, out of His grace and mercy. I thank God that He cannot be mocked. I thank God that He uses both obedience and rebellion to glorify His own Name. Praise be to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ for ever and ever!