Devotional
The Tree of Life Man Never Ate From
Adam never ate from the Tree of Life in Eden. Discover the profound meaning of this untouched tree and how Christ restores access to eternal life for all who believe.
The Tree Of Life Man Never Ate From.
Genesis chapter two records that the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden. Out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life also stood in the midst of the garden, alongside the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
The command was clearly given to man: Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it. The tree of life remained accessible. The fruit of immortality waited within reach.
Then the serpent came with his craft. The woman listened. The man followed. Their eyes opened. They knew they were naked. Fig leaves became their covering. Shame entered.
And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever. Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden.
The tree of life stood untouched. Man never ate from it.
Something profound lies hidden in this account. Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree. Death entered through that door. But the tree of life remained. They never reached for it. They never tasted its fruit. They never received what God had placed there for them.
The enemy stole much in that garden. But what Adam lost by disobedience, Christ recovered by obedience. The apostle Paul declares in Romans chapter five that where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. As by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
The tree of life reappears in Scripture. Not in a garden eastward in Eden, but in a city that cometh down from God out of heaven. Revelation chapter twenty-two speaks of it: In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month.
The tree Adam never ate from now stands in the paradise of God. And the invitation goes forth: Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Here is what must settle in the spirit today. What the first man lost, the second Man recovered. What Adam forfeited through sin, Christ secured through sacrifice. The tree of life that was closed to fallen humanity now stands open to all who come through the blood of the Lamb.
The enemy thought he had won in the garden. Death entered. Judgment followed. The ground was cursed. But God had a plan for the redemption of the world. The tree of life would not remain hidden forever.
For every soul who feels the weight of the Fall, there is good news. The curse that came through the first Adam is broken by the last Adam. The sin that separated man from the tree of life has been atoned for. The way back to the tree is open.
Jesus declared in the book of John: I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me. He is the tree of life made accessible. He is the fruit of immortality offered to all who believe.
Perhaps the weight of past failures presses upon you today. The memory of wrong choices, of forbidden fruit tasted, of doors opened to the enemy. The condemnation whispers that the tree of life remains forever out of reach.
But Scripture declares otherwise. Romans eight opens with these words: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
The tree of life is not a distant memory of what might have been. It is a present reality for all who are in Christ. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead now dwells in you. The same life that flows from the tree of life in the New Jerusalem flows through the Spirit into your spirit.
Consider the mercy of God in this. Adam and Eve hid from His presence. He came seeking them. They made fig leaves. He made coats of skins. Blood was shed to cover their shame. The first hint of the Lamb who would take away the sin of the world appeared in that garden.
Throughout the Old Testament, the tree of life appears as a symbol of wisdom, of righteousness, of the way of the just. Proverbs declares that wisdom is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life. Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.
These are shadows pointing to the substance. Christ is the wisdom of God. Christ is our righteousness. Christ is our hope fulfilled. Christ is the tree of life incarnate.
The tree that Adam never ate from, you may eat from today. Not with physical teeth, but with the mouth of faith. The bread that came down from heaven, of which if a man eat, he shall never die. The living water that springs up into everlasting life. The fruit of the Spirit that fills the believer with all the fullness of God.
The gospel of John records these words of Jesus: I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever. And the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
The tree of life stands before you. The fruit is ripe. The invitation is open. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.
LET’S PRAY
Every curse that came upon me through the Fall of Adam, break by the blood of Jesus, in the name of Jesus.
I receive the life that flows from the tree of life into my spirit today, in the name of Jesus.
O Lord, restore to me everything that Adam lost through disobedience, in the name of Jesus.
Every door that sin opened in my life, be closed permanently by the blood of Jesus, in the name of Jesus.
I eat by faith of the tree of life; I receive eternal life and divine nature, in the name of Jesus.
The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus sets me free from the law of sin and death, in the name of Jesus.
Thank You, Lord, for the tree of life that stands in the paradise of God, with fruit for my healing and nourishment.
In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Let’s Make These Declarations By Faith
This day, I declare that the tree of life is accessible to me through Christ. The curse of the Fall is broken over my life. I am no longer separated from the life of God. The blood of Jesus has opened the way.
I eat of the tree of life by faith. I receive the righteousness that comes from God. I partake of the divine nature. The life of Christ flows through my spirit, soul, and body.
I shall not die but live to declare the works of the LORD. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free. I am alive with the life that never ends. The tree of life is my portion. The fruit of immortality is mine.
In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Devotional
The Sun Stood Still In The Midst Of Heaven
Time itself pauses when the Lord commands the light. The shadows have no place to hide as the heavens yield to a man’s voice. Darkness is delayed, the decree is final, and the victory is inevitable.
The Sun Stood Still In The Midst Of Heaven
Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel. Five kings had come against Gibeon, the city that made peace with Israel, and Joshua marched all night from Gilgal with his mighty men of valor.
The Lord discomfited the Amorites before Israel, slaying them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, chasing them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smiting them in Azekah and unto Makkedah.
The battle raged across the valley while the Amorites fled before the sword of Israel. Above them the sun climbed higher into the sky. Few hours were left before night fall granting the enemy an escape.
Joshua saw the day slipping away. He saw the enemy scattering into the hills where shadows would hide them. A commander knows the cost of an unfinished victory.
Standing before the men of valor, with the valley stretched out beneath him and the five kings fleeing toward the caves, Joshua opened his mouth. He spoke to the Lord. Then he spoke to the sun.
“Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon” (Joshua 10:12 KJV).
“And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.” (Joshua 10:13 KJV)
The sun stood still in the sky. The moon held its place over the valley. The sun stayed at the command of a man who spoke with the authority of heaven.
“And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel” (Joshua 10:14 KJV).
Creatures obeyed its Maker. The same voice that said, “Let there be light,” held that light in place at the request of His servant. Joshua asked. The Lord answered. The sun and moon became weapons of war.
The five kings fled to a cave at Makkedah. Joshua commanded great stones rolled before the mouth of the cave, guards set to watch them, and the army pressed on, destroying the Amorites until the victory was complete.
When the slaughter ended, Joshua returned to the cave and brought out the five kings. The sun that stood still witnessed the defeat of kings before the armies of Israel.
The Lord fights for His people. Heaven and earth move at His command. What God did at Gibeon, He did in generations. He bends creation to His will, and gives victory.
Joshua did not fight alone in that day. The Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon the Amorites. More died from the hailstones than from the sword.
Prayer moves the hand that moves the world. Joshua’s voice reached the throne of God, and the throne of God commanded the heavens.
The sun, that great burning light traversing the sky since the fourth day of creation, paused its course. The moon, the lesser light ruling the night, stayed its orbit.
Time itself submitted to the will of the Almighty spoken through the lips of a man who walked in covenant with the Maker of all things.
That day extended beyond all natural limits. A prolonging of light and triumph, an extension of the Lord showing Himself strong on behalf of His people.
The Amorites learned what Egypt learned at the Red Sea. The five kings discovered what Pharaoh discovered beneath the waters.
The God of Israel is Lord.
LET US PRAY
Lord of hosts, fight for the faithful as You did at Gibeon.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen!
Devotional
Except the Lord Build the House
Labor is empty and vanity without the Master Architect. See why the Lord must build the house and keep the city for work to have lasting substance.
Except the Lord Build the House
Nehemiah held the cup in his hand. He stood before King Artaxerxes in the palace at Shushan. The wine was ready to be poured. The king sat on his throne, surrounded by guards and advisors.
Nehemiah had served the king for years, pouring wine with a steady hand and a calm face. But that day, the hand trembled and the face showed sorrow.
The king noticed. “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart” (Nehemiah 2:2 KJV).
Nehemiah feared greatly. A sad face before the king could mean death. But Nehemiah carried a burden heavier than the fear of punishment.
The walls of Jerusalem lay broken. The gates were burned with fire. The people of God lived in despair, troubled on every side.
Nehemiah had heard the report months earlier. Hanani, one of his brethren, came from Judah with news. “The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire” (Nehemiah 1:3 KJV).
Nehemiah sat down and wept. He mourned for days. He fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
“Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it.” (Psalm 127:1 KJV)
Did Nehemiah rush to Jerusalem? Did he gather stones and mortar with his own hand first of all? Nah! He went first to the Lord. He confessed the sins of Israel.
He reminded God of His promises. “Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: but if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there” (Nehemiah 1:8-9 KJV).
The king spoke. “For what do you make request?” (Nehemiah 2:4 KJV). Nehemiah prayed to the God of heaven. Then he answered. “If it please the king, and if your servant has found favour in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it” (Nehemiah 2:5 KJV).
The king granted the request. He gave letters for safe passage and timber from the forest.
Nehemiah went to Jerusalem, inspected the walls by night, did not tell anyone what God had put in his heart. Then he said to the people, “You see the distress we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer reproach” (Nehemiah 2:17 KJV). The people said, “Let us rise up and build.” They strengthened their hands for this good work.
Sanballat mocked, Tobiah laughed. “What is this thing you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?” (Nehemiah 2:19 KJV). Nehemiah answered, “The God of heaven himself will prosper us. Therefore we, his servants, will arise and build” (Nehemiah 2:20 KJV).
The wall rose higher each day. The workers held a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other. They laboured from the break of dawn until the stars appeared. The enemies plotted to attack, but the Lord disappointed their devices. In fifty-two days, the wall was finished.
The Lord built that house.
LET US PRAY
Lord, let the foundation and blocks be laid, and let the building be completed.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen!
The Just Shall Live by Faith
Habakkuk cried out from the watchtower. Violence and spoiling filled the land. The law was disobeyed, yet judgment did not go forth. The wicked compassed the righteous. Then the Lord answered from His holy temple.
“Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4 KJV)
This was the word that came to the prophet. A word of life. A declaration of how the righteous would endure until the appointed time. Not by strength. Not by human intellect. By faith.
The soul that sins finds no standing. Only the just find life. Life sustained by faith.
Faith is assurance. Conviction. Substance. The evidence of things not seen. Never a feeling, nor a wish but a spiritual reality. Not by sight. Not by reason.
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17 KJV)
The just live by the Word of God.
Apostle Paul declared this in Rome. The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” The wrath of God is revealed against ungodliness. Mercy is revealed to the faithful.
Abraham believed God. It was counted to him for righteousness. He staggered not at the promise of God. Strength came through faith.
In the beginning, God spoke worlds into existence. By faith, the worlds were framed by the word of God. Things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Faith perceives the invisible.
The shield of faith quenches fiery darts of the wicked. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. He that comes to God must believe that He is. He must believe that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
Faith moves mountains. Faith commands the sun to stand still. Faith shuts the mouths of lions. Faith quenches fire. Faith turns weakness into power.
The just walk in this faith through trials, temptations, troubles, and persecutions. The world sees trouble; the just see glory. The world sees lack; the just see provision. The world sees death; the just see resurrection.
Christ is the Author and Finisher of faith. For the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross. He despised the shame. He sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The just live by faith in God. The Son of God loved the church and gave Himself for it. To sanctify and cleanse it. To present it holy and without blemish.
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God…” (Galatians 2:20 KJV)
No weapon formed against shall prosper. Every tongue that rises in judgment shall be condemned. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord.
The just stand fast and the just overcome the world.
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. (1 John 5:4 KJV)
Victory by faith. Through the life of faith.
LET US PRAY
Lord, increase faith. Let life be lived by Your Word alone.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen!
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