PREACHERS AND WIVES

  
   Eve was strong-willed, independent, and she liked to shop.  And on a certain day in the Garden of Eden, Eve went on a shopping spree---and Satan's store was open for business. 
   Eve quoted the word of the Lord to Satan by saying, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:  but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.  (Genesis 3: 2, 3)
   But did Eve truly believe the words she spoke?  Did she truly understand the penalty for disobedience?
   Doubtful, for she continued to shop and to gaze with her eyes.
   Satan knew that Eve was in a buying mood.  She liked what saw and she could taste the fruit of the vine with her imagination.  All Satan needed to do was sweeten the pie and make a deal. 
   Satan began by calling God a liar:  Ye shall not surely die:  for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3: 4, 5)
   Protecting Adam and Eve from evil was precisely the reason for God's one and only commandment, the first thou shalt not.  Did Eve not see what the devil was spinning? 
   Adam was there, too, yet Adam said nothing.  He watched in silence as his wife gave in to the pleasure of sin, and he also gave in because of the temptation of his own wife. 
   Sin is attractive:  deception in plain sight, wrapped in colorful paper with ribbons and bows, and delightful to the eyes.  And when we, like Adam and Eve, ignore the signs of its intention, we---like Satan---call God a liar:  at which time we will not believe that sin has a penalty clause. 
   The decision Adam and Eve made that day hurt themselves, and their decision also hurt other people.  Today, we are still suffering for their disobedience to God.  Look at the evil that is in the world today.  And children, all over the world, are suffering the penalty for the sin of their own parents.
   What we do in this world matters.  The decisions we make not only impact our individual lives, but our decisions also impact the lives of others.  And if we believe that what we do doesn't matter---as long as it doesn't hurt anybody else---is to believe a lie. 
   Without saying, Adam never became a preacher, and Eve never became a preacher's wife.
   Perhaps it is safe to say that not every woman can be a preacher's wife because many women are too much like Eve:  strong-willed, independent, and competitive with their husbands. 
   Perhaps, too, that not every man can be a preacher because many men are too much like Adam:  afraid to speak up in the time of danger, watching in silence as their families are devoured by sin.