Transparency

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Genesis 2 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. (Genesis 2:25, NIV)


REFLECTIONS:
Most people will glance right over this verse and think nothing of it—believing that it's simply about Adam and Eve not having any clothes.  However, like most passages in the Bible, when we actually stop and take time to really study and meditate on a Bible verse, the Holy Spirit will show us something much deeper in meaning than when we first skim over the verse.  If we search the Bible verses like buried treasury, the verses will actually come alive in us and provide us with what we are lacking at the time (i.e. wisdom, strength, compassion, love, joy, kindness, patience, peace, ability to forgive, self control, etc.). 

Before the great Fall of mankind, Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed.  The word “naked” can also symbolize being transparent, morally innocent, vulnerable, nothing to hide, open, etc.  It refers to their relationship with each other and God in the Garden of Eden.  Adam was transparent and hid nothing from Eve.  And likewise, Eve was transparent and hid nothing from Adam.  A transparent person is an open and vulnerable person.  There had to be a great amount of trust between them.  Adam’s eyes, heart, concern, etc. were only for Eve and not for himself.  Adam did not have any selfishness within him.  And—let us take note!—Adam and Eve were both transparent and hid nothing from God.  Their hearts were open to God and they allowed God to speak into their lives.  They were not ashamed because they were morally innocent before God.

Starting in chapter 3, after the Fall, we will see both of them looking inwardly, hiding from God, blaming each other, hiding from each other, closing off their hearts from each other, ashamed, fearful, not trusting, etc.  Their eyes and thoughts became focused inward, only thinking of themselves in selfish ways.  They became conscious of self and now we see the devastating effects of selfish behavior in the world around us.

The funny thing about hiding from God is that God already knows everything and it is impossible for us to hide anything from God.  So why is it that we act like we can hide anything from God?  God wants us to confess and repent of sins so Satan will lose any grasp he has on us.  Anything that is hidden and kept in the dark can and will be used against us by Satan.  Only when we bring things into the light by confession before God can we be fully released from the grip of Satan.


POINT OF ACTION:
A few key points I took from this verse:

• We must always be transparent and open to God because we cannot hide anything from God anyway.  God wants to have communion with us on a daily basis just like in the Garden of Eden.
• We must confess and repent of any sin in our lives that we may be trying to hide from God.  God already knows everything about us (even our thoughts) so why should we keep pretending He doesn’t.
• Die to self which may be our hardest struggle to overcome.  
• Always be transparent and open to our loved ones. 
• Open our hearts to God and the people we love (Over time we can build up walls around our hearts for self protection; however, it only builds a barrier between us and God plus the other people we love).  
• Keep our eyes on God and our loved ones; not to turn our eyes inwardly in a selfish way. 
• Absolute surrender of our lives to God.
• God wants the best for us.

Before we can accomplish any of the above tasks, we need the power of the Holy Spirit within us to overcome our selfish ways.  We cannot overcome our selfish nature without the Holy Spirit.  However, so many times, we try to do it on our own strength and wisdom which always ends up in a disaster.     


PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, I want to become open and transparent to You; just like Adam and Eve were before the fall.  I do not want my eyes to be on myself but on You and Your ways.  I also want to be transparent and open to the people around me.  I do not want anything in my life to be hidden in darkness that can be used by Satan against me.  Forgive me for thinking I can hide anything from You.  


WHO AM I?
Max Peeples, a man who wants to be open and transparent before God and his wife (just like Adam before the fall of mankind).  This is a picture that my wife took while in Israel of where they believe John the Baptist and his mother may have stayed after fleeing their home.