Didja ever wonder what the fruit of the tree was?  what the fruit of the
knowledge of good and evil was?  Well.. it doesn't really matter what it
looked like as much as what it did.  And lemme tell you.. it was quite
astounding when God showed me this morning just what it did and why.
   You see.. when we were starting out.. with Adam and eve.. we knew what
the difference was didn't we?  I mean.. we knew right from wrong.. right?
Well.. some might say that we did.. but if we didn't.. then that means that
we couldn't even tell that the tree was bad for us.  But would God have made
us that naive?  Maybe.. some might say so.  I wonder about that though.. cuz
this morning as I was thinking about all that I had gone through.. it
occurred to me what always seemed to cause the entire problem:  My fight
between my desires and what God wanted.
   I became puzzled.  Did this mean that my desires were always in the wrong
direction?  We are taught that our sinful hearts automatically pull us away
from God.. but if that's true.. what brings us back?  Maybe it's love.. and
our understanding of just how much God loves us.. enough that His own Son
died for us on that tree.  But I never found myself to have desires that
were ultimately evil.. or were they?  I really get confused in this area..
but I did find one very important thing this morning.. and that was the
problem with warmth.
   You see.. if in fact we knew that evil was wrong.. then we never
should've taken the tree.. unless we didn't understand just what the tree
was about.  In the KJV, the word "know" is often used to mean more than just
knowing a fact.. it means to be familiar with something on an intimate
level.. and maybe that's just what the fruit of the tree was!!
   You see.. we had knowledge to name things.. we had knowledge to serve our
God.. so we at least knew some of what was right.. but what was so appealing
about that tree is the same thing that keeps the entire nation at bay.  We
get stuck in ourselves whenever we try and mix sinful pleasures and God's
desires -- whenever we get stuck in the very middle of both -- something
which I found to have rather extreme pleasure -- more alluring than anything
else.. probably the reason so many bishops and priests have had problems
with child molestation -- cuz the pleasure lure is so great for those who
are truly close to God.. or is it?
   Maybe it's only those who are religious who feel that pleasure lure.. but
I think it's more.  I think that all of us feel the lure to be near satan
and his guises.. because they *are* pleasureful.. and for some strange
reason.. a manure bath right after a sparkling shower produces intense
pleasure.. and it leads us right where we don't want to be.. in God's wrath.
We need to remember how much He loves us.. and that our own sin, though
forgiveable, does lead us away from Him.  As well, we need to realize that
no matter how hard we try.. we can't pull ourselves out of sin by our own
strength -- only God can.  And without His perfect mercy.. we'll suffer the
ill effects of all the sins we've committed in our lifetimes for our entire
lives.
   So what are we to do?  I think Adam had such a trouble resisting Eve when
she gave him the fruit because now that she had such knowledge of both good
and evil.. now that she was intimate with both good *and* evil.. she was so
attractive to him.. and so was the fruit.. that he just didn't want to
resist any longer... so.. the question is.. do we blame Eve?  do we blame
the serpent?  do we blame Adam??
   BAH!@!  I think we have to stop passing blame.. and worry about the fix.
It's a waste of time to really determine who's to blame for the whole mess.
The fact is.. none of us our to blame for being sinners.. we were born that
way.  However, if we have Jesus in our hearts, we can turn away from sin and
all its devices.. and leave it behind in the dust!!!
   So where does this leave us now?  It leaves us with one perogative.  Get
the truth out to as many ppl as possible -- not in a harsh way.. but in a
way that really sparks their interest.  Show them the love of Jesus.. show
them how much He loves them by loving them as He would if He were there to
love them in person.  Ya never know.. they just might start to listen to
what you have to say about Him if they saw His love inside you first.
   Btw.. if I sound judgemental.. it's not meant to be.. simply an
exhortation for all of us to get off our keesters and realize that God
really does love us all.. and that only the sons of satan are destined for
destruction.  All of the rest of us can make it.. can't we?  Or should we
say.. by God's grace.. we can all arrive in His arms to stay forevermore.
What need we fear then?