Day 3 Two Trees in the Garden

 

1/3/2026

"Falling in love with Jesus is the best thing

I've ever done!"

 

Saturday morning began early for me. The warmth of my quilts was not easy to abandon, so I elected to stay comfy cozy for a bit, as I listened to An Hour with Jesus hosted by Terry MacAlmon on New Year's Eve. I hadn't gotten a chance to listen to him on Wednesday evening, so I felt there was no better way to begin my morning, praising and worshiping our Blessed Lord! Terry had pre-recorded it, as he spent New Year's Eve in Alberta Canada at a church praising in the New Year with several churches. I'm certain that it went very well, especially with the crack down on churches once more going on in that country. 

Terry shared something that Holy Spirit had dropped into his heart as he was praying, seeking the Lord. He said, "Live each day as though every one you meet is more important than you, because they are." The Bible teaches us that God loves us, and because He forgave us, we forgive ourselves and not allow the enemy to torment us with what has already been forgiven and dumped into the sea of forgetfulness. The world teaches us that we are to love ourselves, but Jesus teaches us that if we want to be great in His Kingdom, we must learn to be a servant of all (Matthew 20:25-28; John 13:15; Matthew 25:35-40; Matthew 23:19-20). In Matthew 20:1-34 when the sons of Zebedee, James and John, ask to sit on His right and left hand in the Kingdom of God, Jesus teaches them what it means to follow Him and be His disciple. Again, He teaches of service to others, washing the feet of your fellow man. Humility is a prerequisite to being great in the Kingdom, as Jesus humbled Himself, and He died the death of a suffering servant, so we are to live our lives. His teachings are beautiful and true.

In Romans 12:3 Paul tells us, "For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith." In James 4:10 he says: "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." 

Consider when Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden where God walked with them in the cool of the evening. This was prior to their listening to the devil's lies, before Eve was beguiled by his cunning. Why are women so gullible? I think sometimes in our desire to be kind and supportive that we open the door for troubles, even entrapment. I've had more than my share of wrong decisions, so I know a lot about the subtlety of the enemy. Again I remind everyone, as Billy Graham said, "Stick to the Book!" All the answers are contained in the scriptures.  In the Garden of Eden there were two trees in the middle of the Garden they were told to leave alone. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. They had to be cast out of the garden after choosing to eat of the first tree, because if they had eaten from the Tree of Life, they would retain the sin and live forever. But, because they sinned they brought the sin nature into the world, and the rest is history. Even after the flood, Noah and his family still carried the sin nature within them, so it began afresh and anew. 

In our lives we have a choice as to which tree we eat from. We can continue to eat from a lustful desire as Eve did when she looked at the fruit at the devil's urging, and she saw with her eyes the succulent, desirable fruit (lust of the flesh in seeing and desiring it), shared with Adam who was complicit in the act of sin, and then their eyes were open to their nakedness (pride of life). In our present day we eat from that same tree when we decide to do things our way, rather than God's way, questioning His path for our life. Sadly, we face the consequences  of our bad choices and decisions, and they are visited in our children. But thanks to Jesus, once we are saved from our sins, once we make a course change and surrender our lives to His will, and are truly born again, we can eat of the tree of life and feed on His Word. Jesus is the Bread of Life as described in the Apostle John's Gospel of John. When we finish our time here on earth, and He comes to take us home, we will enjoy eternal life with Him. It is all a matter of which tree we choose - life or death. We choose to have fellowship with those who speak the words of life as found in the Word of God. I think Psalm 1 is a perfect Psalm for this expression:

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper" (Psalm 1:1-3).

Which tree is more appealing to your life? Choose wisely!