Tree of Life

My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.  Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her. Proverbs 3:11-18 KJV

I want to start today by looking at the last verse, which discusses the “Tree of Life.” There were two trees in the Garden with Adam and Eve—the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. As we know, Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge, not the Tree of Life. We don’t know the consequences of eating from the Tree of Life, but we do know what happened to Adam and Eve once they ate from the Tree of Knowledge. Whatever happened to the “Tree of Life”? We find three references to it in the book of Revelation, where it still bears fruit and is in the midst of the paradise of God, aka Heaven. It even goes further to say those who enter Heaven may have the right to the Tree of Life.  

When I first became a Christian, the Lord had to prune, mold, and shape me by humbling (chastening) and, in some cases, humiliating me in front of others. The struggle was daily, and the depth of pain was deep. That was as a new Christian. As a mature Christian, I also find that 23 years later, the Lord has needed to humble and humiliate me differently. We get comfortable in our righteousness and forget our past struggles as a New Christian. We must seek out the Lord’s wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. In fact, the Holy Spirit is identified as God's wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and workmanship (Exodus 31:3 and Exodus 35:31). 

When you have the Lord’s wisdom, she is more precious than gold, silver, pearls, or anything else with material wealth. She can give you more days in life, wealth, and respect, but the key two words to me are she will bring joy and peace to our lives. I struggle at times with what is written today. We can get caught up in politics, economics, and social status versus trusting the Lord’s wisdom and ways to guide and guard our lives in a chaotic world. I hope today that each of you reading this will start to seek wisdom, and I hope you find her waiting and willing to give you what the Lord has promised to us.