Tree of Life - Do we Partake?
Psalm 119:9-16
How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.I delight in your decrees; will not neglect your word.
Psalm 119:9 starts with “How can a young (or an old) person stay on the path of purity?” Answer: “By living according to Your Word.” It goes on to say, “I seek you with all my heart.” Wait right there a second with me. Do we seek God with all our heart? Or do we often seek first what we want, even after we might do those morning devotions? Is it hard if the phone rings or a text comes through to seek God and focus on Him with all my heart? Life around can be so distracting. I do like how the psalmist goes on to say or ask, “Do not let me stray from your commands!”
Recently I was thinking of the fact I’m a daughter of Eve. I was considering her life in the garden and wondered how long it took for her to eat the wrong fruit. The Bible doesn’t say, but I feel it was longer than we realize. After all, they had gardening to do and animals to enjoy that Adam had named. Anyway, I see her like myself and how sin can tempt me. At first, I could quite easily run the other way, but when the temptation returns day after day it becomes another story. That beautiful tree is amazing to look at; is it so bad to just look? The tree gets more beautiful by the day and so desirous! It can’t be that wrong to do when everything about it seems good! Right? We often justify ourselves as Eve did and say to ourselves, what or who can it hurt? Have you been there like me?
Another thing came to my mind about Adam and Eve. The Tree of Life was also in the garden. It doesn’t say they ate from it! Only that after they messed up and ate from the tree they were told not to eat of, do we read they were banned from the Tree of Life. I can’t help wondering if that tree was overlooked because it was not as tempting or appealing. We are not told but I feel they never partook of it!
What about now do we do the same? Do we have a Tree of Life that can daily refresh us, fill us, cleanse us, make us new, and above all help us deny the things that take us down? How do we keep going in God’s direction?
Look back at Psalm 119 with me verse 10b “Do not let me stray from your commands.” Dear Lord, we need so much help not to stray!
Verse 11 says, “I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” When I ponder this verse, I know it is the Tree of Life and if you are like me, you need encouragement to partake of it often! Lord, jog our memories in all the places of life your Word is needed.
Verse 12, “Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees.” How often do we need help and teaching, Lord God. Thank you for your patience.
Verse 13, “With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.” Thank you, Lord, for helping us know your laws and quote them to give us peace and assurance.
Verse 14 “I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.” Lord, the truth is no other riches can compare to you!
Verse 15-16 “I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your Word.”
Psalm 119 is very long but so full of riches and I realize if I neglect these amazing words, it’s like missing out on the Tree of Life. We pray we seek your Kingdom first by partaking of your Word often and recognizing it’s the abundant Tree of Life!