The Ugly Exchange
(The Fall of Mankind)
A. Royalty in the Beginning
*B&B:Once Upon a Time a young prince lived in a shiny castle. Although he had everything his heart desired...
*A&E:"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth... Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1)Note: The prince is royalty and he has everything he wants. Adam and Eve are also royalty since they are made in the image of God and in Genesis 1:28-29 God gives them the food they need to survive and commissions them to fill the earth and rule over it.
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| Rebuke the devil! Flee from temptation! =) |
*B&B:Although he had everything his heart desired the prince was spoiled, selfish and unkind but then.... the enchantress comes along disguised as an old beggar to test him. He failed the test and was therefore turned into a hideous beast due to a selfish decision he made, the decision not to love. Not only did his decision affect him but also his whole castle and all who lived in it were placed under a powerful spell which would only be broken if he could learn to love another and earn their love in return before the last petal fell. If not he'd be doomed to remain a beast for eternity. Narrator: "As the years passed, he fell into despair, and lost all hope, For who could ever learn to love...a Beast?"
*A&E: Adam and Eve had everything they needed (close relationship with God, food to eat and authority to rule over the earth) and lived in harmony until the Tempter (the devil) came along in the form of a snake to test them. There was one tree that Adam and Eve were told not to eat from (the tree of knowledge of good and evil). So the devil used that to trick them: "You will not certainly die (if she ate of it's fruit),” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. (vs. 4-6) So yeah, they fell for the devil's trick- he made them feel inferior yet they had all that they needed and they were royalty. So they became insecure and fell for the trick . They chose not to abide in God's love and the harmony created for them (by choosing not to trust God- the source of life), but chose to satisfy their bodily desires (lust, hunger for power and wisdom) hence they fell. So the ugly exchange happened. They leave the garden ashamed and under a curse, in fact, all of creation falls under the same curse (death and decay). The only way to break the curse is through a relationship with Love. "So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?" (Paul in Romans 7:21-24) (This is how and when the Kingdom of the world got to be secretly ruled by the devil. More about that in: THE KINGDOMS)
The Beautiful Exchange
(The Salvation of Mankind)
~Love came to the Rescue- The First Coming~
*Belle("Beauty")- In the story, Belle (Beauty) ended up being separated from her father and got stuck living with the Beast and she later started to fall in love with him despite his obvious flaws. The love of Beauty, the antithesis of his 'beastliness' is what was necessary to break the spell.
*Jesus ("Savior")- In reality, God came down to earth as Jesus (Emmanuel= God with us) not just to live among us to relate to us but to take upon Himself the punishment of our sin (the death penalty). It is the love and sacrifice of this loving and Holy God that sets us free from the curse! and restores the broken relationship =)"What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!"(Romans 7: 24-25)
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1 John 4:10)
Conclusion: So yeah, friends, it's time for us to remember who we are. Our real identity. Who God created us to be (to be in relationship with Him. Abiding in His Love. Depending on Him) We are royalty!!! God really loves us. Just as we are. We don't have to earn it. Jesus paid the price for our sins. We are free! We just need to believe it to receive it. Jesus is mighty! He breaks all our chains and then fills us with His Love which really does satisfy- that's what our soul craves for. So yeah, just let Him come into your heart and fight all your battles for you. He is just waiting for us to come back to Him. Let's seek Him first coz that's when we find Him and everything else will fall into place. And He has such good plans for us! "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33) I'll share my testimony soon! There's no love like His Love!!! (Related posts: Taste & See and Grace) Listen to this song. Pay attention to the lyrics. Love you friends! Feel free to share questions/ comments :-)
♫When only Love could make a way You gave Your life in a Beautiful Exchange.
When only Love could break these chains You gave Your life in a Beautiful Exchange♫
Stay tuned! I have more to share from this Beauty & the Beast series. Some super urgent, exciting stuff!
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