Pastor Bell's Words To Live By

The people of God have a propensity to easily forget and this anointing of forgetting can have disastrous consequences.  Having been created and called by God the onus is on us to maintain our relationship with God and to develop and expand that relationship. When we are called we are given a specific time-bound conditional mandate. For Adam is was:- take care of the environment you are in, be ecologically aware (Gen 2:8); occupy all the earth but replenish and recycle everything, that is, be environmentally friendly (Gen 1:28). Take dominion over the animal kingdom; ensure that they are not driven to extinction by senseless disregard for them. Be a protector and a provider, provide covering for those who you have authority over and protect those who are in your circle of influence. The final command to the first person singular was this: all the food you need is right there in your vicinity. Eat what you want. You may juice it, cook it, boil it or bake it, but it is all there for you to enjoy. You may even foment it and drink the juice but do not get drunk on it, for it can be potent. There is only one condition, do not eat of that tree, yes that one right there in the middle of your domain. Don’t even touch it. For the day that you eat of it, you will think that you are a god and can do everything for yourself and you will try, trust me. However, that day will be the starting point of the downhill journey towards the pit, and you will think that you know best for your eternal survival!

After hearing all these instructions Adam obeyed and enjoyed the fruit of God’s labour. However, when physical Eve came on the scene and after a protracted period of time, things began to change. A member of the created order chose to hanker after God’s throne. And since this was not possible, he was ejected to the earth. Whilst there he made his way into the garden, he obviously got through the gate, and worked on Eve. It is interesting that this mode of operation, of using food as the starting point of deception, is still our Achilles heel today. Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and gave some to Adam to eat also (Gen 3:6).

Humanity forgot that everything they needed was there for them. Their basic, intermediate and advanced needs were all being met. But the propensity to forget and to do the opposite of what God commanded us to do is an ever present threat. And so from generation to generation God’s people kept on forgetting. They went into slavery because they forgot God (Exo 1), were subsequently delivered by God after months of fighting with the god of Egypt (EX 12), but went back into slavery several hundreds of years later as they forgot God again (see Daniel & Ezekiel’s work).

Today let us ask the Lord to help us to remember and count our days, since the propensity to forget is so strong, write down the salient things commanded by Yahweh and keep them on your wall, and pray the prayer of Moses in Psalm 90. Oh yes, remember to read it through, Psalm 90 that is!