GRUMBLING AT ADAM
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Genesis 2:15, 3:17-19 (NRSV)

The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and
keep it.

And to the man he said,
     "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife,
      and have eaten of the tree
about which I commanded you,
     'You shall not eat of it,'
cursed is the ground because of you;
     in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
     and you shall eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face
     you shall eat bread
until you return to the ground,
     for out of it you were taken;
you are dust,
     and to dust you shall return."

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Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for
your masters . . . you serve the Lord Christ.
- Colossians 3:23
-24 (NRSV)
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YEARS ago when my family and I moved into our own home, we wanted to have a
vegetable garden.  We had no power tools to turn the soil, so we dug up the
grass with shovels and hoes.  It was hard work.  Since then we've enjoyed
tomatoes, beans, cucumbers and other delicious vegetables from our garden.
But always it is hard work.  We have to hoe, pull weeds, and pick up rocks
every year.  Many times I've grumbled at Adam and Eve for disobeying God and
making work so hard.

But then I remember that God put Adam in the garden before the fall "to till
it and keep it."  Work has always been part of God's plan.  God worked at
creating the universe and our earth, even taking a rest.  Today we still
have the privilege of being partners with our Creator in caring for the
earth, providing for our needs, and producing enough to take care of the
young, the sick, and the elderly.

Prayer:  Father, thank you for the skills and opportunities you give us to
serve you.  Help us to share these good gifts with others, as we pray, "Our
Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come.  Thy
will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.  Give us day by day our daily
bread.  And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is
indebted to us.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil."*  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Good work is a gift from the Lord.

-- Terry Jean Day (Illinois, U.S.A.)

PRAYER FOCUS: People who work to feed us

*Luke 11:2-4 (KJV)

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