Designed on Purpose
Read Genesis 2:18–3:24
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18)
Why was creation incomplete until woman was created?
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God created woman for a purpose. Creation was incomplete until woman was formed; none of the animals were the completion of creation. We were created for fellowship with God and man. Created to be a completer, a partner…the object of affection to both God and man.
Often we struggle to believe that we are objects of God’s affection.
What difference does it make in my life whether or not I really believe that God loves me wholeheartedly and individually? ______________________________________________________________________
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God delights in us:
The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)
Do I really believe God loves me this way; that I am the object of his affection and he delights in me? Reflect on what it means to me to hear that God delights in me?
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In Genesis 2 we see Eve struggle in her relationship with God. Satan tempts Eve with the notion that she needs more than what she has in her relationship with God, with Adam and her place in the garden.
Eve had from God all she could have needed and desired. She had perfect surroundings; a man formed by God himself; yet for Eve, Adam was not enough, the beauty of the garden was not enough. Likewise, our relationship with God gets threatened when be are tempted to believe that God is not enough.
How does discontent show in my life, when God is not enough for me?
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When we are discontent, we often choose to listen to lies rather than listen to God and his truth.
What lies did Eve listen to and what are some of the lies from Satan we most often listen to?
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Eve was not saying out loud, “I know better than God”, but her actions showed that she thought she “knew better than God” she rationalized that God meant something different than what He actually said.
What are some of the ways we try to convince ourselves that God doesn’t really mean something He says? ______________________________________________________________________
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Eve compromised her relationship with God with her lack of contentment, self reliance and listening to lies. Afterward, she was not content and confident. She became ashamed and insecure as shown by her hiding from God and trying to cover herself. She then sought to blame shift the cause of her problem.
God came looking for Eve….she hid…God called out to Eve…God comes looking for us every day…calls out to us every day…Eve finally answered and stood before God
Think about what happened. God did not “zap” Eve for her wrongdoing.
He looked at her and said, “How could you do such a thing?”
I wonder what may have gone through Eve’s mind at this time. God had given her no reason for unbelief, and had only shown her love upon love.
When we stray; when we listen to lies; when we become discontent, it results in our feeling insecure. We, like Even try to hide, perhaps we believe that we’ve messed up too much…. Imagine God asking the same question of you that he asked of Eve. “How could you do such a thing?”
God desires relationship. Eve’s choices affected God, just as mine do. He really cares about our response to Him. Eve first responded without taking personal responsibility. She did have to face the consequences of her disobedience to God, but then notice what God did.
God rebuked the devil for his schemes with Eve…
Then God covered Eve’s shame. He showed her she was worth all his love, all his attention, and all his care. God made Eve clothes even though she and Adam had already covered themselves with fig leaves. Why do you think God extended this gesture of making her clothes from animal skins? ______________________________________________________________________
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Designer Clothes
God has continued to show his love for His people in clothing them. Consider this scripture describing God’s feelings for His beloved
Ezekiel 16:4-14
On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised.
Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, “Live!” I made you grow like a plant of the field. You grew up and developed and became the most beautiful of jewels. Your breasts were formed and your hair grew, you who were naked and bare.
Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.
I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you. I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put leather sandals on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments. I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck, and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was fine flour, honey and olive oil. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen. And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign Lord.
God still clothes us today, covering our spiritual nakedness and shame with Jesus. God promised us that in our baptism He clothed us with Christ”.
For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (Galatians 3:27)
Read Colossians 3:12
What do these spiritual clothes look like? ______________________________________________________________________
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How can wearing these clothes cover my shame and affect my security?
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Read 1 John 4:19 We love because He first loved us…How does experiencing God’s love affect my ability to love others?
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Find and read further scriptures that you can continually go to that best express to you God’s love for you. Share them with someone else.
