So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.  And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”  Genesis 3:6-9 NKJV

Ever since Adam and Eve fell in the Garden of Eden, God’s high priority has been to actively seek out and reconcile people separated from Him by the consequences of their sin—not that sin separates one from God, but people out of feelings of guilt. anguish, self-judgment, and remorse, separate themselves from a conscious presence of God. Just like Adam and Eve, when they transgressed God’s commandment in the Garden, they sought to separate themselves from God, but God did not separate Himself from them. In fact,

“they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden” and Adam said to God, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” (Genesis 3:8, 10).

The provision that God has made for bringing lost souls–like Adam and Eve–unto Himself is the Gospel (Romans 1:16). The Gospel is Good News—not a message of condemnation, punishment, or judgment. A priority is putting some important thing first in the order among other things. First and foremost, when you are broken and wounded in sin, God desires to reconcile you unto himself. And, the provision that God uses to supply that need is the Gospel. The Gospel is the supply to every need, the answer to every problem, and the provision that include all other provisions.

Where are you today? Are you somehow hiding among the “trees” of the garden of life, trying to cover-up your nakedness of sin, and suppressing the conscious of God’s presence just to cope with the emptiness and loneliness of trying to live without Him? Acknowledge your failure and sin, and realize that God loves you so much, there is nothing you can ever do to make Him stop loving you (John 3:16). Your reconciliation is God’s high priority and His message of unconditional love and acceptance (the Gospel) is His provision for you. God’s high priority is to save all but only some will accept His salvation (2 Peter 3:9). Will you accept God’s love or continue to hide among the “trees” of self-delusion?