Last week after breaking my camera I replaced it with a good brand name camera. I wanted to take great pictures on my fishing expedition. Alas, good names can be deceiving. The pictures were not as good as those my old camera took. So today I returned it. The return lady asked if it was broken. “No,” I said, “I was disappointed with the quality.” She nodded and returned my money.
As I walked away I wondered if God was disappointed with the quality of Adam and Eve. Most likely not at first. They were perfect, but after the fall I wonder if He wanted to return them. But to whom would He return them? He was the manufacturer. He couldn’t return them to Himself. He already had them. He could have given them away. He could have said to Lucifer, “Well, now they are yours.” But love would not allow that. Immediately He put in motion a plan to improve them. He would restore them to prime condition. It was called the plan of salvation. It was a very expensive fix. It required from Him the ultimate price.
As I think about this you are very fortunate I was not God. I would have trashed them and started over. Then again love makes us do extreme things. God’s plan was so extreme surely Lucifer laughed and was sure it would never work. That is why the Garden of Gethsemane and Calvary were so horrendous. Lucifer was sure if he only made it bad enough Jesus would give up on us. How wrong he was. Love makes us do extreme things. The cross is as extreme as any plan could get. There was, is and never will be anything more horrific.
God has a no-return policy!
Written by Roger Bothwell on June 12, 2009
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
rogerbothwell.org