This all too familiar story begs some deeper reading beyond what you learned as a child in Sunday school. Past the first story of creation, the second story sets the stage for our current human condition. Let's look...
"In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." (Genesis 2:9)
"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God really say, "You must not eat from any tree in the garden"?' The woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, "You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die."' 'You will not surely die,' the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil'" (Gen 3:1-5)
Two trees, mankind, God and satan; all the players that still today tussle for center stage of the heart. What I want to focus on is the two trees, one the Tree of Life, the other the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Two trees, two choices! Notice though that the choice before mankind was not between right and wrong or good and bad. The choice is between LIFE and DEATH.
On tree is LIFE (for us today that Tree is Jesus Christ Himself), the other tree is DEATH (for us today that Tree is our sinful disposition and satan's evil plans). Notice that Jesus is NOT in the GOOD category, instead Jesus is ONE of the TWO choices. The good is rooted in the same system (tree) of death.
What this means is that you and I can do really good things in life, things that would win us one of those peace prizes, things that mankind would admire and honor. Things that would generate a "feel-good" special on "60 Minutes" but with all that we have done that is good we would still fall short to the glory of God. We can do good and still die. Die emotionally, spiritually, and of course physically! The two choices are not between good and evil.
Instead Jesus sacrificed Himself so that we might have His life. That we might return to walk with Him in the garden as Adam and Eve did. That we might be found only in His presence, that He would remake us into His perfect image. Your relationship with Jesus is so much more!!!!
Yet the starting point is a choice, a decision to go after the good, the evil or Jesus! Which one will you choose?
"This day I call the heavens and the 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..." (Deuteronomy 30:1))
No comments:
Post a Comment