The Tree

I hadn't ever though of it in these terms before, but I was reading a devotional thought from Genesis chapter 2, where the author posed the question of just why everything else was perfect for man but the tree in the middle, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, was off limits.

Why even put such a tree there?  Was it really just to have a taboo to test the ability of man to be obedient?  Was it there just so man could have a choice between good and bad?  Or was it there for a deeper reason, an opportunity for man to come closer to God in a more intimate relationship?

What if the tree was placed in the middle of the garden (cf. v. 9) to give man a choice of the center of his being?  What if man could choose to eat of the tree and "become like God, knowing good and evil" (3:5) or to rely on God, being drawn into deeper intimacy with the Father as He revealed to them what is good and what is not?

Isn't that the true challenge of mankind to this day, who or what will occupy the center of our being?  Isn't our struggle against the temptation to displace God from the throne room of our heart and ascend to it ourselves?  Isn't that our real battle at the heart of it all: Will I make my own way or will I seek God's?

Do you remember what Jesus taught his disciples to pray?  "...Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven..." (Matt 6:10)?  And do you remember what he modeled in another garden when he was facing the choice of the cross?  "...Yet not my will be don but yours" (Mk 14:36).

This is the question man must ask and answer: "Will I trust God or self?"  And, just as in the Garden of Eden, Satan is there on the sideline saying, "You don't need to wait on God.  You can do this on.your own.  Trust Me in this!"

So, what do you choose?  To make your own way or to embrace God's?  Will you listen to the hiss of the Serpent, the devil standing by your side, tempting you to ignore God's call?  Or, will you draw near to God, growing in intimacy with Him as you listen to His voice, seeking His way?  Jus' Ask'n.