When Adam sinned and the Lord told him, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread,” he soon learned what that meant. Before disobeying God, he had no cares or work - just the pleasure of walking through the garden God had provided, occasionally picking the fruit.
Now that was changed. Thorns and thistles would grow, and the soil would not so easily give its nourishment. This meant hard work was going to be required, which would produce the sweat of which the Lord God spoke. While this must have been hard for Adam to accept, it was actually one proof of God’s love for him, that, in spite of the sin he and Eve had committed, he would benefit from the very sweat that would always remind him of his sinful nature.
How does the body know when to send sweat to the skin? The Creator has made a most amazing provision. A part of the body called the hypothalamus is what starts, stops and regulates sweat. This complicated organ, about the size of your thumb and located under the center of your brain, performs much like the control tower at an airport where pilots of airplanes are told when to come in, when to leave, which runway to use, and other instructions to insure their safety. Similarly, among many other things, the hypothalamus tells you when to eat, when to drink, when to put on or take off an overcoat, when to sleep, and when to wake up. These instructions, as well as the control of perspiration, are all functions of the hypothalamus.
The first step in sweating takes place as this little part of the brain sends a message to thousands of sweat glands to open up and pour out moisture. How does it know when to do this? Only the Creator who designed it knows exactly how it works, but its work is truly marvelous. Under hot conditions, the sweat cools your skin; on a cold day, it orders the same sweat glands to shut down and hold back the moisture so you can warm up. Isn’t this remarkable?
This wonderful provision of love for Adam and for all of us reminds us that, although God hates sin, He does love sinners and offers the very best gift of all, in spite of our sinful nature. His Word, the Bible, tells us, “God [commends] His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:88But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)). “Whosoever [believes] in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)).
Have you accepted this gift and believed on Him as your Saviour?
(to be continued)
ML-05/22/2005