Morning by Morning, January 27 - Intimacy and Innocence
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let Your name be my first thought and my first word, as I begin my day seeking first the kingdom of God and Your righteousness before all else. ...
"And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed" (Genesis 2:25).
Before the fall of the first sin, the children of God were naked and not ashamed. They were free to be intimate and innocent, passionate and pure, uninhibited and undefiled. No guilt, no shame, no regrets. They were as You created them to be.
Your Word doesn't say how much time passed between that verse and the next. It doesn't mention how many evenings Adam and Eve walked with You in the garden in the cool of the day, enjoying the peace of Your presence and the undefiled intimacy of their relationship with You. But into this beauty and bliss, the next character introduced in the real-life drama of Your creation is "the serpent" who was crafty and deceitful, challenging Your character and Your word (v. 3:1).
After that day, even after our redemption and forgiveness from Your sacrifice of love for us on the cross, we still find it challenging to fully embrace our restoration to the place of intimacy and innocence. The serpent still tries to swirl around in our thoughts to steal our sense of passion and purity with You and one another, despite the truth that we are forgiven and free, cleansed from all unrighteousness by the blood of the Lamb. So often we still want to grab at our "fig leaves" and cover ourselves from the holiness and purity of Your presence to hide ourselves from the uninhibited, unrestrained intimacy of Your embrace (v. 3:7).
But the truth is we have "been set free from sin" (Romans 6:18). "So (we) also must consider (ourselves) dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:11). As we call on Your name and repent in our hearts to embrace what You have done for us in Your love, we are cleansed from all unrighteousness and restored to intimacy and innocence (1 John 1:9). "For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). "Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, making holiness perfect in the fear of the God" (2 Corinthians 7:1).
Thank You for forgiving me and freeing me to walk with You again in the cool of the day and the depths of my heart. I don't have to hide or hold back. I can be naked and unashamed in the intimacy of innocence, uninhibited and unrestrained in my passion for You. Whenever I do, You silence the voice of my accuser, the serpent, and crush his head under my feet in the power of Your grace and the promise of Your peace (Romans 16:20). Praise You, God! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, I pray you will embrace the intimacy and innocence you have with God in Christ, uninhibited and unrestrained in your passion for Him. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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