I have been thinking about the fact that God gives us free will and allows and actually invites us to choose between His way and ours.
It’s like He plants two trees in the garden of our heart and life. One tree is what He has planned and desires for us and the other is the world’s way and what our will outside of listening to Jesus wants.
It’s much like the trees God planted in the very first garden in Eden. There were two trees that stood side by side – one the knowledge of good and evil, the other eternal life. God did not forbid Adam and Eve from eating the fruit of the tree of life, only the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God said, you can have all that you see before you, just don’t eat from this one tree in the center of the garden.
Those two trees reveal God’s first intention toward us. We are able to choose the terms on which we will interact with God. We can choose to obey him or disobey him. We can choose to trust him or not trust him. The two trees represent choice and free will.
The choice given to Adam and Eve is the same choice given to every person that has or will ever inhabit the earth - listen and obey so that you live in blessing, purpose and peace or listen to the lies of the enemy and the world around you and suffer the consequences of doing things apart of God. (Genesis 3:1-23)
Unfortunately, Adam and Eve chose to listen to the lie that they were somehow missing out if they listened and obeyed God. As a result, a whole series of events were set in motion that weren’t great and took Jesus coming to earth and giving His life for us all to fix.
God still plants two trees in our life for us to eat from. He loves us that much that He gives us the freedom to choose and looks for ways to reward us when we choose well. He is a good Father and wants to bless us. (Hebrews 11:6)
The two trees in our life are also a way to mature us and ensure we will always have free will. We either live with the consequences of choosing to listen to the lies of the enemy, the voice of our own desires outside of God’s best for us or we seek God and receive the reward that He has waiting for us when we eat from the tree of life and blessing.
“And without faith it is impossible to please him for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6 ESV)
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)
Today I encourage you to examine the trees in your life and to choose well which one you are eating from. I recommend eating from the tree of life that God plants in all our lives and allowing it to bless and sustain your life. God gives you a choice and when you choose well He always has a reward far above what you could ever have imagined. (Ephesians 3:20)
Prayer: Lord, thank you that you love me so that you give me free will to choose my best life in you. Please forgive me where I have chosen wrongly and lead me in the way to go as you show me the difference between good and evil so that I can choose well which tree I eat from. In Jesus name Amen
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