Tree of Life

Why is it so hard to make the right choices in life? I'm not talking about choosing between becoming a serial killer or a librarian. I mean the everyday choices we make. Decisions that should be so obvious, yet we somehow end up in an internal debate.

Some choices, bad decisions, can be corrected... and some cannot. Some serve as lessons so we hopefully don't make that same mistake again and some you're just stuck with. There are some choices you just live with. They are the daily reminder of God's grace and mercy.

I have personal experience with all of the above. I think most people do. Some people might not like to acknowledge those poor choices, but they're still there, reminding us of our imperfections. Before Jesus, the only people on this earth that had no sin, no regrets, was Adam and Eve. And we all know how long that lasted!

First, you should know that I do not blame Eve for the fall, at least not completely. Just like it takes both people in a relationship to mess it up, it took two people to make THAT BIG of a mistake and literally have the entire human race pay the consequences!

The whole Adam and Eve thing used to always make me so angry. God gave them ONE instruction... ONE! How hard can it be to follow one rule?? But the older I get, the more mistakes I have under my belt, the more I understand.

We should probably put some things into context, so let's look at the verses. Genesis 2:8-9 says, "Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there He put the man He had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."

Herein lies the bases of our setting. God created the Garden of Eden and in the middle of the garden is the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. So next, God gives Adam the rules. Genesis 2:16 -17 says, "And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

Next comes the part everybody knows. The serpent was crafty and made Eve question what God said, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Gen.3:1) “You will not certainly die”... “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Gen.3:4-5). And Eve chose to eat the fruit that was forbidden. Genesis 3:6-7 says, "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves."

We could spend a lifetime debating who was right and who was wrong - who was to blame. But in the end, we will still have the same results... we are ALL capable of good AND evil!

That crafty serpent is alive and well! And he's still using the same tactics he used in the garden. "If you do things MY way, YOU can be God! You can rule over everything." Lies! The enemy may be persistant but there's nothing new about his schemes. He is all lies! "You want to be big and important and powerful? ...just do this one thing. Do you want the world to see how great you are? I know just the trick. God doesn't care what you do - He doesn't REALLY mean you'll go to hell. It's just a scare tactic. He doesn't want you to be as great as He is." The enemy's lies are everywhere!

That crafty creature has us so wrapped up in how important we are that we don't have time to think about God! At least, that's his goal. Me, me, me... Satan wants us to be selfish.

And God is just the opposite. We are to die to self. Luke 9:23-24 says, "Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it." We must lay down our selfish desires and follow Jesus in order to have eternal life.

Grace and mercy. I'm so grateful for the grace and mercy of God! The enemy may throw lies at me and tempt me with all the selfish desires of this world, but he has no power over grace and mercy. The enemy is all about SELF - what can the world do for ME. But the grace and mercy of our heavenly Father makes it possible to look past myself and see others. What can I do for someone else? THAT'S the message of Jesus.

So as I step into each new day, I know the enemy is lurking - just waiting for the opportunity to throw his firey darts of lies at me. But I have something he has no power over. I have the shield of faith. Never leave home without it!

Ephesians 6:14-16

Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace;

besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one.