 Tuesday: The Forbidden Fruit
You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for
when you eat of it you will surely die. Genesis 2:17
So far on our pilgrimage we have focused on things that are good, but there
is more to know. God prepared the earth for people and we are supposed to
enjoy it, but God also created some things that are not for us at all.
Genesis says that God placed many trees in the Garden of Eden and told Adam
to take care of them. Adam was welcome to eat from any trees except for one-the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This tree belonged in the garden
because God put it there, but that did not mean that Adam was welcome to
it. Instead, God told Adam to leave it alone. God also told Adam what would
happen if he disobeyed.
The Garden of Eden is gone today. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil
is gone with it. No one alive today has seen them, and we will never see
them again. Even so, they are far more than historical curiosities. They
are still relevant to us here and now in everything we do.
Like God's original relationship with Adam in the Garden, God still wants
us to find Him in a perfect place where we can have a perfect relationship.
Jesus spoke about it 2,000 years ago. Talking with a Samaritan woman He said,
"But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship
the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him."
John 4:23. God wants us to worship Him-He seeks us to worship Him! The pilgrimage
that we are on now is part of our life's journey to worship God in spirit
and in truth.
As with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil at creation, God created
some things that are not intended for our use or consumption today. There
are rules and limits, and our relationship with God depends in part on how
we deal with those limits. God tells us what they are, and He tells us what
will happen if we break His rules.
As you continue on your pilgrimage and as you live your life from day to
day, remember that God desires a perfect relationship with you. He wants
to meet you in a perfect place. He seeks people who worship Him in spirit
and in truth. Remember that God has rules to bless you and keep you safe.
God blesses us with His love. We honor God through humble obedience.
Holy God, I adore you. I exalt your name. I seek to worship you. Your
creation is glorious, and your rules are righteous. Teach me to worship you
in spirit and in truth. Write on my heart the rules that must guide me, and
teach me the joy of humble obedience. All this I ask in the name of Jesus,
Son of God and son of man, Amen.
|