No one knows what the Tree of Life looks like. Is it an oak? Is it a maple? It really is not important. What is does IS of vital importance. The Tree of Life gives eternal life to those who eat of it. There is something about that tree that stops the death process.
When Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden they were denied access to the Tree of Life. God put them outside the garden and put an angel with a flaming sword to guard the entrance lest they go back into the garden and take of the “Tree of Life and eat, and live forever.” (Genesis 3:22).
This passage from the first book of the Bible does not end the story of the Tree of Life. If we cut to the last chapter of the last book of the Bible, we find that tree again.
“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. (Rev 22:14)
The Bible opens with man losing the right to the Tree of Life and closes with man gaining entrance again to the Tree of Life. The Bible opens with God putting a “No Trespassing” sign around the tree and closes with God taking it down. Christianity is the story of victory. It is the story of going home.
Whatever life is like here, whatever victories or loses we face, in the end of this life we win. In the end we get to go home and be with God. In the end we go back to the Tree of Life. We get to see that tree someday. That will be amazing!
Lonnie Davis
HeartWord – John 7:24
“Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.”
Begin with a Smile
“With high-definition TV everything looks bigger and wider. It’s kind of like
going to a high school reunion.”
Daily Devotional
Joshua 9:5
“The men put worn and patched sandals on
their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread
of their food supply was dry and moldy.”
Fooled by Appearances
When Israel came from Egypt to the Promised Land they had a specific command from God that they should not make covenants with the people who lived in Canaan. Rather than associate with them, Israel was commanded to drive them out. The people of Gibeon heard about this and decided to trick Israel into letting them stay.
They loaded their donkey with “worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. The men put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, ‘We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us.'” (Joshua 9:5-6).
Without consulting the Lord, Israel agreed to a pact with them. Things were not what Israel thought they were. Things were not what Israel wanted them to be. These men were enemies, but Israel made an agreement to let these men to live among them.
Israel would have been well off to know what Paul told the Corinthians, “Bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Cor 15:33). Israel’s downfall in the Promised Land was that they never drove out the idol worshippers.
Why did they let they make a pact of living with the Gibeonites? The answer is that they could not see past the patched sandals and worn out old clothes. They sampled the provisions of the Gibeonites and made a decision based on appearances.
Even today we as Christians get fooled by appearances. We see things that look okay and then go along to get along. We make the same fatal mistake as Israel when they “did not inquire of the Lord.” (Joshua 9:14).
Lonnie Davis
Bible Question
What animals did Samson tie together by their tails?
Today’s Bible Chapter
is Job 8. To read it click H E R E.
Answer to the Bible Question:
Seeking revenge, Samson caught “three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails.” (Judges 15:4).
HeartWord – 2 Corinthians 9:6
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”
Begin with a Smile – John Mayer
“I realized you can use a fork as a spoon if you use it rapidly enough.” – John Mayer
Daily Devotional
The Reaping Principle
Galatians 6:7-8
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
In a lifetime of ministry I have had the opportunity to sit with many couples in counseling. Anytime I do one of our first goals is to discover what is going wrong. Once we identify it, then we can work on fixing it.
Here is the principle that counseling is built upon: “The pain that is felt is the result of something that is sowed.” Pain is merely a time of reaping.
- When Peter saw Jesus, he wept bitterly. (Matthew 26:75). Why? Because the weeping was the reaping of the sowing of denying.
- When Judas saw what he had done, he hanged himself. (Matthew 27:5) Why? Because the hanging was the reaping of the sowing of betraying.
Even the law of nature says we reap what we sow. The farmer who wants to reap corn, plants corn. If he wants to reap cotton, he plants cotton. To reap beans, he plants beans. It is true with everything that a farmer wants to reap. It is also true in our lives. We read what we sow.
Look at Galatians 6 again. If you do NOT believe that you reap what you sow, then you are either (1) deceived, or (2) you mock God. We all need to understand “a man reaps what he sows.”
If you want to live a great life now, then you need to watch what you sow.
Lonnie Davis
Bible Question
What is the last prayer in the Bible?
Today’s Bible Chapter
is Job 6. To read it click H E R E.
Answer to the Bible Question:
The last mention of prayer is in Revelation 8:4, “The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand.” The last prayer is in the next to the last verse in the Bible – “Come, Lord Jesus.” (Rev 22:20)