Paradise on Earth?

So God expelled them from the Garden of Eden... (Gen 3:23)

My bride and I recently built and moved into a new house in the country. Ideally, we will see it become a place of ministry. But, the temptation is to view it as some sort of sanctuary. This is the desire of many men -- a place of peace, joy and comfort where they have no needs. At the same time, we frequently isolate ourselves from or ignore the needs of our neighbor. The natural tendency is to make ourselves the focus of our own love. But this is counterfeit love because real love is designed to exist and be meaningful only in a relationship with someone else. Genuine love always requires sacrifice. Ever since being expelled from Garden of Eden, Man has been struggling to recreate Paradise while at the same time obeying and loving only Self. This is the Garden of Eden Syndrome that makes it almost impossible for rich men to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Having our dream cottage in some ideal location is guaranteed to NOT be an actual paradise because God's purpose is not another Garden of Eden. His objective is men and women who are genuine lovers in the same way that He is a lover because they are filled with His love. New life and fruitfulness comes only outside the Garden and only through death to self. For example, a woman must embrace pain and risk her life to have a baby. In a similar fashion, men are called to die to their self-interest so they can protect and provide for their family. They must die to self if they are to provide not only on a physical level but also on a spiritual level.

The temptation to get away from needs, pain, and suffering can entice us to break relationships, to hide behind walls and to kill the potential fruit of our lives. In contrast, God calls us to be filled with His Spirit of Love. His Spirit will make us great lovers trusting in Him to provide. He will provide and bring new life as we take the risk of depending on Him instead of seeking or even lazily sinking into the false security of a paradise on earth.

Father, please empower us to give up seeking paradise on earth and, instead, embrace being lovers of God and man -- even if it means being inconvenienced, uncomfortable or sharing our stuff.

The lazy man does not have a harvest because it is too inconvenient, uncomfortable, or scary to sow the seed. (Prov 20, Eccl 11, Prov 22)

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. (Jn 12)