In the beginning, God placed Adam in a garden east of the city of Eden. The garden was complete and had everything that anyone could ever need.
The Bible says in Genesis 2:9, “The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
God commanded Adam to tend and keep the garden. He was made caretaker over the garden. He was given the authority to make all the decisions required to tend and keep the garden in good order.
Then out of the ground, God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to be named. Whatever Adam called each creature, that was its name. From the fish to the domestic animals, Adam named them all.
But, then, God told Adam something he could not do. God commanded Adam to not eat of a certain tree in the garden. Now, it wasn’t like God was trying to keep good things from Adam because the Bible says in Genesis 1:29 that God gave every herb that yields seed on the entire face of the earth to Adam and also every tree that yields fruit with seeds.
Also every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every thing that walks on the earth and everything that has life was given to Adam to rule over. You might say that God had made Adam king of the earth. God had withheld nothing from Adam that was useful to him. The only restriction Adam had was this: “Do not eat of the tree in the midst of the garden.”
Now here’s the point. Adam did not have the God given right to eat of the tree. However, he did have the ability.
A few years ago I heard a man on a television talk show talking about marijuana. He said that it was okay to smoke it because God made it. And he concluded if God didn’t want people to smoke marijuana, then he wouldn’t have made it. That’s possibly the logic Adam could have used when trying to decide whether or not to eat of the tree in the midst of the garden.
Just because we have the ability to do something it doesn’t mean we have the right to do it.
Let me give you an example. We all have the ability to kill someone. If you are strong, you may be able to break someone’s neck. If you own a gun and have one bullet, you have the equipment required for murder. Even if you are a weakling, you could still poison someone.
There are thousands of ways to murder someone. Everyone has the ability. But no one has the right to commit murder. God says it is wrong and we are not to do it. The government says it is wrong and has passed laws that prohibit it. And if you break the law you are punished. We have rights in our country, but we do not have the right to murder, even though we have the ability.
As Christians we need to understand that everything we can do is not something we have been given the right to do. We must choose to love. We must choose to forgive. We must choose to obey God’s Word. We have not been given the right to do otherwise.
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Dr. Larry Ollison is founder and Senior Pastor of Walk on the Water Faith Church and founder of Larry Ollison Ministries. With over forty years in the ministry, he is a very popular speaker nationally and internationally and ministers the Word of Faith through radio, television, Internet, and daily e-mail devotionals. As the author of eight books (including The Power of Grace, The Practical Handbook for Christian Living, Breaking the Cycle of Offense, Life is in the Blood, and recently released The Paradise of God), he is in frequent demand for radio/TV interviews, book signings, and magazine publications.
Dr. Ollison was raised a Southern Baptist. While majoring in theology at Southwest Baptist University, he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For many years he traveled extensively speaking at Full Gospel Business Men's meetings and conventions. He later earned an M.A. in Theology and a Ph.D. and Th.D. from Life Christian University.
Currently President of International Convention of Faith Ministries (ICFM), Dr. Ollison is also Vice-President of Spirit FM Christian Radio Network, Missouri State Director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), and a Trustee on the boards of several international ministries. He is also the host of The Cutting Edge Radio Broadcast and authors The Cutting Edge Daily Devotional.
As the owner of a marine dealership, his extensive business background brings a unique flavor to his teaching. He founded and served as chairman of the Missouri State Marine Board, President of the Marine Dealers’ Association, Vice-President of a bank holding company, along with holding several directorships in various corporations.
Dr. Ollison's strongest areas of teaching are the blood of Jesus, faith, relationships, the Hebrew language, the Holy Spirit, the end times, and heaven. During ministry, he operates freely in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. His use of humor and his ability to make a theological concept simple makes it enjoyable and easy for everyone to understand. Countless testimonies have been received from people who say their lives have been changed after experiencing Dr. Ollison's unique ministry.
Dr. Ollison is a pastor, pilot, teacher, and author. His number one goal is to meet the needs of the people through the teaching of faith in God's Word. He and his wife, Loretta, have two children and six grandchildren.