Which Fruit Do You Choose To Eat?
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”(Genesis 3:2-5)
There have been times we’ve all picked up that one piece of fruit that looked pleasing on the outside but once we opened it up or bit into it, it was rotten on the inside. By all accounts, we should have been able to tell that it was bad, thinking if it’s bad on the inside it should be looking pretty rough on the outside. But that’s not always the case until you inspect it more closely. I frequent a very good discount grocery store that sometimes this happens. I once purchased some string beans that were wrapped up and looked fine…until I got them home and discovered that once I opened the package and moved some of the string beans around, it was a hairy mess beneath some of the beans! Definitely not pleasing to the sight. Sometimes we can’t just assume that what we are seeing on the surface of food, a situation or even a person, is always good until you get a bit closer and inspect it.
The fruit from God’s trees in the garden were not bad, but for Adam and Eve, it could bring dangerous consequences if eaten. God gave a simple, clear cut command to Adam. He told Adam in Gen 2:15-17 what he could and couldn’t eat from the trees in the garden. Eve, once she came along, did receive the memo because the serpent questioned her on it in Genesis 3:1. Then in verse 2-3 she repeated the command to the serpent…yes they could eat of the fruit from the trees in the garden, BUT God did say not to eat fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden, or touch it, or they will die.
So Eve knew the truth. She knew God had said it. Yet, she chose to eat the forbidden fruit and pass it to Adam because it was made appealing to her. The enemy made God out to be a liar who was out to deceive Adam and Eve when in fact the one questioning her understanding of what God had said was the very one who was deceiving her. One fruit led to life and good health and the other fruit led to death. Yet from the twisting of the serpents words, she now perceived that the wrong fruit was the right fruit to eat. In other words, Eve was deceived.
How often does this happen to us? We know what God has told us, we’ve read it in the Bible, but through the twisting of the enemy’s words in our minds or through other people with their words, we now believe that the wrong way of doing something is the correct way or the wrong direction to follow is now the right direction.
We must be careful what fruit we choose to eat from. One can bring us peace and life and the other can bring us death. One can lead us to make the correct choice in a situation or the other a wrong choice. Sometimes we may be in such a bad situation that the only fruit that looks appealing is the one that provides the easiest way out instead of the one that has us walking it through until the end.
What is the name of the fruit you choose to eat?
Anger or joy
Sadness or happiness
Peace or chaos
Jealousy or contentment
Fear or faith
Pride or humbleness
Forgiveness or unforgiveness
Selfish or unselfish
Greed or generosity
Failure or overcomer
Not valuable or valuable
There are many to choose from, but choose carefully as one can lead to life and one can lead to death.
God gives us His instructions through the Word of God. There is no mistaking what He says, but sometimes we tend to make it harder than it has to be. We tend to believe opposite of who He says we are. We hit those gray areas where we may not know which way to turn. Or we are in a situation where we just aren’t sure what else to do, but this is where we seek God’s wisdom as it states in James 1:5-8:
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
God want us to ask for wisdom but the key is to believe and not doubt when we ask for it.
So take a moment to see what type of fruit you have been eating. Is it rotten and causing you to think or act negatively or is it good and wholesome causing you be a light in the darkness? Think about a decision you have to make. Does one of the choices appear to look appealing from afar but has aspects that seem opposite of what the Bible tells you to do? If so, you might want to start seeking God’s wisdom and direction so you don’t make the wrong choice by biting into the wrong fruit.