Scripture: Genesis 3: 1-3

The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” ² “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. ³ “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”

Scripture Commentary: The serpent deceives.

The Bible refers to Satan as the serpent and records three times where he has a conversation with someone. Genesis 3 is the first time, and Job 1: 7-11 and Job 2: 2-6 is the second time. The third time is in Matthew 4: 3-10.

A conversation is defined as “an informal spoken exchange, a familiar talk.” The last part of familiar spells “liar.” Satan will do or say anything to get you to follow him. Satan had to get God’s permission to attack Job. He lied to Eve to sway her. With Jesus, he was lost before he even got started.

The serpent deceives the entire world.

He has nothing to offer. Only God and Jesus, His son, offers the truth. God is our Father and His love for us is forever and truthful.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Genesis 3

Job 1

Job 2

Matthew 4

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Genesis:

The Temptation of ‘Must Not’

God Turns Our Wrong Around

Scripture: Luke 12: 17-19

¹⁷ The rich man thought to himself, ‘What will I do? I have no place to put the grain.’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘I know what I will do. I will take down my grain building and I will build a bigger one. I will put all my grain and other things I own into it. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many good things put away in your building. It will be all you need for many years to come. Now rest and eat and drink and have lots of fun.”’

Scripture Commentary: Is bigger really better?

We often get caught up as consumers in accumulating ‘the good things in life.’ The bigger, the better! We’re always searching for the best deal, the newest and latest gadget, and keeping up with the Joneses. Who are the Joneses in your life? We have more clothes and shoes than we can wear in a week to the point that we run out of closet space and storage in our homes. We strive to maximize our earnings and acquire more than we can afford or need. All of this we do for a better tomorrow. However, we forget that we could die at any moment from an accident, illness, or natural causes.

Don’t put your hope in material things.

We are meant to put our hope not in the material things we accumulate but in God’s hands. When we die, we cannot stand before God and say, “I served you in this way or that way,” when in reality our concerns are more about our possessions than the people around us in need.

The man in Luke 12 died before he could use what he had stored in his barns. Paul encourages us to be careful how we live. Do not act thoughtlessly. Understand what the Lord wants you to do.

God has a plan for you.

Your earthly possessions will have no value in the Kingdom of God, so stop focusing on what the world has and start focusing on what you can do for the Kingdom of God. Only your faith in God frees you from the anxiety caused by greed. God will supply all your needs.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Luke 12

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Luke:

Fear of God Is the Beginning of Wisdom

How Do You Use Your Worldly Goods?