Which Tree?

From Moody's 'Today in the Word' daily devotional.

Gen. 2: 8-17

[...]

"The punishment for Adam and Eve's crime, imputed to all of mankind, was not so swift as a lightning bolt from heaven. Death by sin is neither quick nor painless.

Today's passage focuses on God's command and the consequences for disobedience about which Adam was warned.

The tree that draws our attention most forcefully is the forbidden tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It is the only tree named by God in His command to Adam- the acceptable trees were lumped into one description, "any tree in the garden" (v. 16). But the forbidden tree wasn't the only one in the middle of the Garden of Eden.

The tree of life was planted there as well. What a curious pair those trees must have made. One was named for the knowledge of right and wrong, good and evil; but, given God's warning, it could have been called the tree of death. The other was the tree of life. Adam was free to eat of it, which would have enabled him to live forever (Gen. 3:22). Given the choice between life or death, or the choice of knowing only good or evil as well, which would you have chosen?

TODAY ALONG THE WAY--
The defeated say, "After the Fall, we have no choice but sin." The choice Adam and Eve faced in the Garden isn't hypothetical, it's something we face every day. Will we choose to obey God's commands, or ignore warnings that we consider oversimplified or old-fashioned? What we will see in God's Word this month is evident in our lives as well- the consequences of sin reach deep into our minds, hearts, and lives. The grace of God and the power of His Spirit offer those who belong to Christ another option: we can choose to obey.

I look forward to what God will reveal to me in his word this month, this year... Lots to look forward to. I am both excited and a little scared too. But in God's power and grace I can choose freedom, I can choose life, I can choose to obey the One whose plan for me is no less than the best of all he has.:) Thank you Lord for the blessing of a year past and the promise of your Word for the one to come!

xx