Genesis 3:10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

I always looked at Adam’s hiding from God as a matter of shame. It was always seen by me as a matter of being caught with my hand in the cookie jar. I knew better and I got caught. Then this morning I had the opportunity to look at it with fresh eyes.

Adam got a good look at himself and did not like what he saw.

Being exposed is all about how it makes you feel about yourself, not what others think about you. Adam had always been naked and it did not bother God. God’s original design did not include “the cover up”.

How I came to this new conclusion was found in a rather strong emotional reaction to the behaviors of others in Old Testament stories. My reaction said absolutely nothing about those characters, their behaviors, nor the outcome. It did however expose me to that mirror that does not lie.

It forced me to take a good long look at myself and why I should have such a strong emotional reaction to something that happened to someone else more than three thousand years ago. God allows us to be wrong in those moments to expose ourselves to ourselves.

John 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

There was no righteousness in my judgment. I allowed my emotions to take the judgment seat in my mind. I deemed, I judged, I felt and in so doing put my judgment before God’s.

Where judgment takes the lead, condemnation soon follows.

If I cannot allow Christ in me to judge every moment in my life, I will start acting out the condemnation that will surely follow. That affects how I talk to people and how I respond to the actions of others.

2 Timothy 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

What power is Paul talking about here?

Philippians 2:13,16 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

If we treat the bible as a twelve step program, a formula to meet an end, we are making the decisions and choosing what to do because we are only willing to do so much. This is vanity.

If we will take His Word to heart, allow Jesus in, He will change our heart, change our countenance, change our mind and teach us all that we need to be a child of God.

The power of God is the indwelling Christ who can do all things in accordance with the will of God. Humility will no longer be an act of attrition but rather the acceptance of the presence of Christ.

John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

While John the Baptist was speaking of his ministry he foreshadowed our ministry, where we surrender our will to Him and allow Him to do what only He can do.

Try as hard as you can and nothing will happen. Surrender to the love that abides in you and be amazed at what He can do.

Proverbs 23:26 My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

Love God and see what He can do in you.

Love Jesus and see what He can do through you.

Stop trying to decide what the bible says and listen.

Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.