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Tuesday,
September 9, 2008
Tree Of Life
Genesis 2:9-10 And out of the ground made
the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for
food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of
knowledge of good and evil. (10) And a river went out of Eden to water the
garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. (KJV)
You know, we have access to the tree of
life ourselves, a tree that is watered by living waters, something we now
can partake of if one so desires. It is up to each and every individual to
choose for themselves and rightly divide which is the fruit they wish to
partake of, spiritual or carnal, one that brings life or one that leads to
death which is separation from God.
Genesis 3:1-5 Now the serpent was more
subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said
unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the
garden? (2) And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of
the trees of the garden: (3) But of the fruit of the tree which is in the
midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall
ye touch it, lest ye die. (4) And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall
not surely die: (5) For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then
your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (KJV)
Oh those dummies, how much simpler can it
get, what a no brainer, of course you wouldn’t fall for that lie would you?
Just think how nice this world would be if they didn’t fall for the lie and
we wouldn’t have to live in a fallen world. Well, we as believers in Christ
face the same choice each and every day, to partake of the fruit of the Spirit
or to fall back into the realm of the flesh thinking that will bring life.
So who’s the dummy now; how many times have we partaken of the forbidden
fruit, even when we knew better ourselves? Oh how good that forbidden stuff
looks when one gives ear to the enemy, the salesman who would like to pitch
his product to the believer and get them to buy into some cheap knock off
imitation.
Genesis 3:6-7 And when the woman saw that
the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a
tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did
eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. (7) And the
eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they
sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. (KJV)
How many times have you been caught with
your pants down and exposed spiritually? Just like in the physical, the
first thing one wants to do is run for cover and not be exposed for all to
see. All things are open unto the Lord and naked; and it was their
spiritual nakedness that was exposed as well in the form of sin; and like
with many in this world they think they can cover it up with their own
righteousness. But in the end, they realized they could not hide from God,
let alone lie, so they had to come clean and suffer the consequences as
well.
Proverbs 3:5-7 Trust in the LORD with all
thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (6) In all thy ways
acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (7) Be not wise in thine
own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. (KJV)
Oh that forbidden fruit and how it
manifests itself; how the enemy sells it as the real deal, something you
just can’t live without! The enemy will present a highlight reel; like with
many commercials on TV, it looks to good to be true, which is exactly the
case. In my mind I picture a life so fulfilled with something that looks so
good on the outside, but is a total abomination to the inward man. So once
one falls for the lie they find out the hard way that the short term
pleasure they got out of their decision has a much longer lasting
consequence in the form of reality later on. Like that box of donuts they
leave around the office and all the colorful things they put on them, oh
how good it tastes when one is hungry, and how one indulges in it for a
short while only to find out how unhealthy it is later on when they go and
step on a scale. Whose voice are you listening to today; what fruit are you
partaking of; is it the tree of life that will keep you on the path of
life, or are you still partaking of the forbidden fruit, the one that looks
so good on the outside but so deadly to the inside?
Proverbs 3:13-18 Happy is the man that
findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. (14) For the
merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain
thereof than fine gold. (15) She is more precious than rubies: and all the
things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. (16) Length of
days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. (17) Her
ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. (18) She is a
tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that
retaineth her. (KJV)
Remember what the root of all evil is? No
not money, the love of it. Have you ever stopped and thought what it would
be like to win a lottery; and oh what a life I could have if only I had all
this stuff that looks to good. Yet with all that is in this world, the lust
of the eyes and of the flesh, all that this world promises, the one thing
it cannot deliver on is one that will bring peace and contentment to the
believer. That is only found in that other tree, you know, the one that
doesn’t look as pleasant to the eyes of man, but for those that have the
eyes of their understanding open they see a new realm of love, joy, and
peace, the peace of God that goes beyond our understanding. So I have
access to this tree; really, where would I find it?
1 Corinthians 1:30-31 But of him are ye
in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption: (31) That, according as it is written, He
that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. (KJV)
When you renew your mind and keep it
renewed on a daily basis you are able to operate with the mind of Christ,
partaking of the fruit of the Spirit. When you lean back to your own
understanding then you limit yourself to this fallen carnal realm, one
where it is impossible to please God. A tree of life, the wisdom of God
means all things are now possible to those that believe; while the carnal
mind is enmity with God and unable to operate in His realm no longer.
1 Corinthians 1:24 But unto them which
are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom
of God. (KJV)
Not much has changed since the beginning
of mankind, man keeps seeking peace in this fallen world; while those that
choose the fruit of the Spirit, partaking of the tree of life which is in
Christ, will find the only true peace and joy that will sustain them and
allow them to endure to the end. What fruit are you partaking of today; is
it something life giving, or is it the forbidden rotten fruit of this
world? I will give you a hint, if it is something you can confidently and
boldly walk in it is obviously from the tree of life. However, if it is
something that is not peaceable and not something you want exposed, then it
would be of the forbidden kind; one that will lead to death if you continue
your pursuit of it.
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