Influencers Weekly Devotional

The Tree of Life by

Bryan Craig

"Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there He put the man He had formed. And 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."

Genesis 2:8-9

I just have to say exuberantly that I love God's Word. It is SO amazing and so life-giving. There are SO many mysteries to uncover and treasure to enjoy, if we will only take time to submit our wills and our time to it. I am starting a new Chronological Bible with a daily reading plan. It is amazing how getting into a new copy of the Bible opens you up to see new things. I've heard it is good to get a new Bible every few years. Instead of relying on your old notes and marks in the margin and your familiarity with the page arrangement, it forces you find new discoveries. Since reading this new Bible, I am seeing things I've never seen before. The other day, I found myself spending time with Adam and God in the Garden of Eden. I've read this story so many times that I thought I knew everything there was to know about it. We all know about The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God told Adam that he could eat from any tree in the garden except that one. He was told if he ate from it, he would surely die! You know the rest of the story. Eve is tempted by the serpent, and he convinces her to eat from the forbidden tree. Then, Adam follows, and all hell breaks loose! Adam and Eve are banished from paradise. In all my years of reading this story, I've always focused on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. But there was another tree, the Tree of Life. It was standing right next to the forbidden tree, right in the middle of the garden. Adam and Eve were free to eat as much as they wanted from the Tree of Life. However, when they sinned and were forced to leave Eden, they were taken away from the Tree of Life, as well. In Genesis 3:22-23, it says: "And the Lord God said, 'The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.'" Then, it dawned on me. The Tree of Life was Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life. He is the only One who can give eternal life. He is the One who said we must eat His flesh and drink His blood. He is the One Who said He was the Vine. He was the One Who said in Him, we, too, will bear fruit. I believe the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was Free Will. God told Adam that if he ate from that tree, he would surely die. Satan told Eve, "You will not surely die." Well, they didn't die immediately in the physical sense, although they signed a death certificate for all mankind. But they did immediately die spiritually. They and us were forced to live in this flesh, outside of paradise, subject to Evil and all its fruit....pain, torment, desperation, depression, sadness, loneliness, envy, self-pity, destruction. Before the fall, they lived on the fruit of Jesus....love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Yes, Free Will killed us, spiritually and physically. But... "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 God loves us so much that He sent the Tree of Life to us. He couldn't let us stay in our miserable state forever. He wanted us back in paradise. He wanted to give us Life. He wants to give us Fruit that lasts forever. He wants to make things new and right. However, just like in the Garden, two trees stand before us. One tree promises knowledge and power and wisdom. It looks pleasing to the eye. It appeals to our rebellious nature because someone told us we shouldn't eat from it. We've even heard stories of its destructive nature which gives us caution. However, it is very seductive to us for some reason. The other tree stands strong and firm. It is not as appealing as the other tree, though its fruit is so sweet. We've tasted it before, and it pleased the deepest part of our being. We see this tree standing there, its branches open wide to receive us. However, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil obstructs our path. It appears that we cannot get to the Tree of Life. An axe lies beside our feet. The choice is ours. "This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him." Deuteronomy 30:19-20 We pick up the axe, and we know what must be done. We start chopping. Every chop into the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil brings pain into our body. Fear grips us. A voice beckons us to stop. We keep chopping and chopping, every blow breaking down our own body along with the tree. At last, the massive tree falls crashing down and we fall with it face-first. We finally catch our breath, and our spirit lifts us up. Now, we see the Tree of Life waiting on us. We step on the dead tree and walk upon it like a bridge. At first, we walk. Then, we run, until we embrace our Savior, our Salvation, our Life. We are back home, and we will never leave again. "Lord, thank you for saving us, for not leaving us in our sins. Thank you for Jesus, our way, truth and life. Lord, help the men out there find their way to You. Help them die to themselves, no longer falling for the enemy's lies. Help them learn to abide in You and feast on Your fruit. Lord, thank you for The Journey, which is truly helping men find you. Bless us as we desire to help many more men. In Jesus' name. Amen." Download file