The Tree Of Life

So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made.  After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden.  And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the Tree of Life.

Genesis 3:23-24

Do we take Jesus Christ for granted?  How many of us forget that without His death on the cross we would be banished from this Tree of Life?  We have it so good!  Since the death and resurrection Jesus Christ, we have personal access to God through the Holy Spirit, from whom we receive supernatural strength.  God is our Father, and Jesus, our bother who gave up everything perfect in heaven to come down to earth and die a horrible death so that we could eat from the Tree of Life some day.  Because of Jesus, God can look on us and our sins can be forgiven, in fact, forgotten.  Because of Jesus we get to be included in the celebrations of Heaven someday and we get to live eternally in paradise. Unfortunately for Adam and Eve, it wasn't so easy.  They sinned and were banished from this life giving tree.  As long as they lived under sins control they didn't have access to the great things we take for granted every day.  

I have to admit, when I used to think of Jesus I always knew He made forgiveness possible and He saved me from hell but I didn't let these thoughts take me deeper into my future of living in Heaven and celebrating with the angels and eating from this most beautiful, life preserving Tree of Life.  I forgot that Adam and Eve were banned from this tree and that they suffered great consequences for their sins.  I took for granted the easy road Jesus paved for me.  I forgot that one day, even though my sins are many, I would get to experience paradise and eat from this massive Tree of Life.

Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb.  It flowed down the center of the main street.  On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with the fresh crop each month.  The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.

Revelation 22:1-2

The blood of Jesus washes away our sins and makes it possible for us to enjoy salvation and eat from the Tree of Life.  As long as they were under sins control Adam and Eve didn't have what we have today.  We are blessed!  We are so blessed to have Jesus! With Him we are victorious and free to receive the fruit from the Tree of Life! (Rev.2:7)

Blessed are those who wash their robes.  They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city to eat the fruit from the Tree of Life.  Outside the city are the dogs - the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.

Revelations 22:14 

Dear Jesus, I take for granted how much you gave up for me to have eternal life.  I take for granted how much you love me and what I stand to lose without trusting and believing in you.  Thank you for saving me and giving me a hope and a forever future in paradise, eating from this one of a kind Tree of Life.  I am amazed at your unselfishness and the unending, unconditional love that you have for me.  Thank you a million times!  I love you Jesus.  In Your Name I pray, Amen