CHOOSE LIFE

Genesis 2:9, 16, 17, ‘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.’ ‘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 of it you will surely die."’ When God made the Garden of Eden, there were two particular trees that were specifically mentioned, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now the command God gave was for man not to eat the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam and His wife were free to eat of the tree of life. Had they eaten the tree of life instead of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they would have enjoyed eternal life with their Creator and Father; living a life free from shame and condemnation that came with their choice to eat fruit from that tree – Genesis 3:6, 7, ‘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.’ But Satan, being full of jealousy and malice, pointed Adam and Eve to the tree that was not beneficial to them, the tree that would sow seeds of rebellion in them, the tree that would separate them from their Father, God. (Isn’t that what the Devil still try to do with us today?) Man did not have the capacity to judge between good and evil for there is only One who is good, who is the Father in heaven. Because man now knew of good and evil, He could not rely on God grace and mercy and would therefore face the consequences of his actions (sinful in nature), that is, death and condemnation. But thank God for His abounding grace and great love for man. Because He loves us so, He crafted a plan before the beginning of time, that would spare us from the death and condemnation that we deserved and grant us the eternal life and sonship (remember the position of the repentant prodigal son Luke 15:19) that we did not deserve – His original plan since the creation of time. This plan came to us through Jesus Christ, the beloved Son of the Living God, who is now to us the tree of life that bears the fruit of eternal life for anyone who believes in Him. John 5:24, ‘"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.’ And John 6:33, 40 ‘For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."’ ‘For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."’ This is the good and perfect will of the Father for us all and we can only discern it when we choose to live a transformed life that focuses on His Kingdom and His will in our lives – Romans 12:2, ‘Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.’ Therefore brethren, I beseech you, look up to our LORD Jesus Christ and believe His word that proclaim liberty and freedom through the throne of grace to the captives from the shackles of our sinful nature. Surrender your life to Him now before it is too late.