The Lord gave Adam a job to do, which was to cultivate and keep the garden. Adam was the first gardener and he tended the food source for the animals and humans. There was no death or food chain in the world at this time since all of the animals ate green plants. Man and animals lived in harmony. There were also no weeds in the garden so that Adam’s work was a delight and it was good.
Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. Genesis 2:15
The Lord gave everything to man to enjoy but the Lord set a boundary for man and that was that he could eat from any tree but the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil”.
The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:16,17
There can not be love without a choice and the Lord was giving Adam the opportunity to choose Him and to live securely in His love. The Lord only had good plans for Adam and if Adam would choose the Lord and do exactly as the Lord instructed him then Adam would live in harmony with the Lord and everything around him. When God made Adam in His image then He made Adam upright but gave Adam the freedom of choice. Love is a choice. Adam had a choice whether to love God or not to love God. He could choose the Lord and follow His commands and instructions or Adam could go his own way.
Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices. Ecclesiastes 7:29
The Lord still gives people the choice to love Him or not to love Him. All through history men and women have been given that choice. Those who choose to love the Lord will also choose life and those who do not choose the Lord choose death.
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; Deuteronomy 30:19,20a
We all must make the choice whether or not we will love the Lord and choose to follow Him or whether we will follow after our own desires and make our own choices.
If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve…but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15
The Lord knows our needs today just as he knew Adam’s needs and desires. The Lord loves you and He wants you love Him and choose Him so that you may live.
I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10b
The Lord loves you. If you want to love the Lord and choose Him then you need to call on Him so that you might have the good life that He intended for you from the beginning of the world.
that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:9-13
Love is a choice. The Lord does not force anyone to love, follow and obey Him.
Instructions To A Young Life 