TWO TREES IN THE GARDEN. WHICH TREE WILL YOU EAT FROM ?

I often like to spend time in meditation thinking about God, and the very beginning of mankind as we were given life and relationship with our Creator. Living with God in a beautiful garden; tending to its needs and those of the creatures God had also made to enjoy a life in our midst. A perfect existence until the serpent seduced Eve to eat the fruit from the only Tree in the garden that God had put off limits. Adam became the “passive” partner that went along and also allowed himself to disobey God. So many trees with acceptable fruit in the garden, and yet, mankind chose to eat of the only one that God had forbidden them to partake in. Has much changed even today from that monumental moment for most of mankind ? Even today we are given a choice by God to make a decision on what Tree we will ultimately choose to eat from and set the path for our life’s journey. TWO TREES. OUR CHOICE. The first tree is aptly named “THE TREE OF LIFE”. Those who make the choice to eat from it are giving themselves into Total DEPENDENCE upon God for their Identity and Life. This tree and its fruit are defined by a number of characteristics and actions. “I will submit my life and learning experience to the One who made me.” “I will not evaluate God; rather I will trust Him.” “ I will order my knowledge by His revealed will, and trust Him relationally to bring me into His Fullest Fellowship.” This fruit sets us on a narrow path to a narrow gate where Christ walks with us and beside us as we grow and mature. Our challenges seem far less daunting when we know we have a trusted Lord and King beside us that is completely abiding in our hopes, joy, peace, and rest. The second tree is also perfectly named THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL.”. Those who choose to eat from it are giving themselves into Total INDEPENDENCE from God for their Identity and Life. This tree and its fruit are also defined by a number of characteristics and actions. “ I will experience reality Independent of God.” “ I will embrace Humanism, attaching prime importance to mankind in all areas rather than the divine or supernatural.” “ I will evaluate for and all by myself what to do with my life.” “ “ I will order my knowledge so as to justify my choices.”. This fruit sets on a path of “self rule” that sees wisdom and results as merely the result of one’s own efforts and karma. There is such a reliance on worldly experience that often everything that happens are viewed through the lens of “randomness and natural selection”. Human history has no meaning beyond a constant journey forward into new enlightenment. No use for morality or foundational values because a changing cultural norm defines everything. These two choices will also directly set a person’s view of the World and also from a Godly Perspective set the tone for Obedience, or Disobedience. Boiling it all down in that manner, are you able to distinguish the difference in obeying God’s Truth versus disobedience to it ? It is actually pretty simple really. IT IS ABOUT CONSEQUENCES ! When we are disobedient to law, morality, and ethics, BAD RESULTS HAPPEN !

BUT THIS COMMAND I GAVE THEM: ‘OBEY MY VOICE, AND I WILL BE YOUR GOD, AND YOU SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. AND WALK IN ALL THE WAY THAT I COMMAND YOU, THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU.” Jeremiah 7:23

THIS BOOK OF THE LAW SHALL NOT DEPART FROM YOUR MOUTH, BUT YOU SHALL MEDITATE ON IT DAY AND NIGHT, SO THAT YOU MAY BE CAREFUL TO DO ACCORDING TO ALL THAT IS WRITTEN IN IT. FOR THEN YOU WILL MAKE YOUR WAY PROSPEROUS, AND THEN YOU WILL HAVE GOOD SUCCESS. Joshua 1:8

I. HAVE CHOSEN THE WAY OF FAITHFULNESS; I SET YOUR RULES BEFORE ME. Psalm 119:30

JESUS ANSWERED HIM. “IF ANYONE LOVES ME, HE WILL KEEP MY WORD, AND MY FATHER WILL LOVE HIM, AND WE WILL COME TO HIM AND MAKE OUR HOME WITH HIM. John 14:23

HAVE YOU CHOSEN YOUR TREE ? It is truly such a Stark Difference in how one will live out their life. From those moments in the beginning when the knowledge of good and evil overwhelmed mankind, Disobedience and Self adulation ushered in the cruel reality of SIN AND DEATH in such a profound way. Evil, struggle and strife became a way of life. For those who sought God, obedience was hard fought on a road of heaviness and struggle. Constant need for atonement through sacrifice and perfection. Religious piety determining worthiness and often persecution from every direction. ONLY when Jesus came to be with mankind on the earth would God’s perfect plan and provision become the Truth and Light. THAT TREE. THE TREE OF LIFE ! How fortunate are we who have embraced that fruit to bring forth Salvation, Abiding in Christ, and having a life full of love, gifts, skills, opportunity and blessings. Is it challenging, absolutely. BUT I DON”T WALK IT ALONE :)Taking on a yoke of obedience that is light and restful is SO GOOD ! ARE YOU RESTFUL ? If you are on your own, no doubt you would heartily disagree with my conclusions. For many, Freedom is all about ME and MY CHOICES. In our own wisdom, we can only get so far. Counting on others will be good for a time, but it too often ends in disappointment. Things like sexual freedom can seem to be the pinnacle of pleasure….until they end in CONSEQUENCES….like STD’s or (gulp) Pregnancy. Funny thing how mans continual battle for contraception and new drugs never seems to solve ANYTHING. What comes out of Disobedience is Strife and Curses. If you doubt it, take a good hard look at our society today. The thing about God is that He desires you and accepts your brokenness. His desire is to transform us into his original pre-sin creation and to be in relationship with us. YOU AND ME. I often think that there are three basic things that hold us back from God. Pride. Fear. Anger. Looking back on my life, it was pretty simple. Did God really love me enough to have a plan for me ? Did He see my dreams and hopes. Could He read my insecurities and help me, or was He seeing me as weak and unworthy ? DO YOU EVER FEEL UNWORTHY ? I have some great news for you ! GOD LOVES YOU THROUGH ALL OF YOUR STRUGGLES, FEARS, PRIDEFUL ATTITUDES, AND TIMES OF ANGER.

HE HAS TOLD YOU, O MAN, WHAT IS GOOD; AND WHAT DOES THE LORD REQUIRE OF YOU BUT TO DO JUSTICE, AND TO LOVE KINDNESS, AND TO WALK HUMBLY WITH YOUR GOD ? Micah 6:6

FOR I DESIRE STEADFAST LOVE AND NOT SACRIFICE, THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD RATHER THAN BURNT OFFERINGS. Hosea 6:8

PUT TO DEATH THEREFORE WHAT IS EARTHLY IN YOU: SEXUAL IMMORALITY, IMPURITY, PASSION, EVIL DESIRE, AND COVETOUSNESS, WHICH IS IDOLATRY. Colossians 3:5

BUT I SAY, WALK BY THE SPIRIT, AND YOU WILL NOT GRATIFY THE DESIRES OF THE FLESH. Galatians 5:16

The real truth is that Walking With God takes endurance and conviction. It is a CHOICE TO CHANGE AND GROW INTO AN IDENTITY IN CHRIST. It is a constant work in progress, but it only begins with standing before TWO TREES and choosing one ! Eat of the fruit you choose and it will set your life and your future. Remember that The Tree Of Life comes with the Hand Of God Outstretched and willing to hold you and steady you, no matter the challenges. His Way, His Hand, His Will, His Outcome….ETERNALLY ! Choose the other tree, and you will be Alone with your consequences….ETERNALLY ! If you have chosen GOD, seek Him and put all your effort into moving always closer to Him. Never let go of His Mighty Hand…HE LOVES YOU :)

CHOOSE WISELY/JAA. Special Thanks to Dennis Peacocke and Jon Sommer for So Much Fruit !

FOR I AM SURE THAT NEITHER DEATH NOR LIFE NOR ANGELS NOR RULERS, NOR THINGS PRESENT NOR THINGS TO COME, NOR POWERS, NOR HEIGHT NOR DEPTH, NOR ANYTHING ELSE IN ALL CREATION, WILL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD Romans 8:38-39