Skip to main content

the tree of the knowledge of good and evil

[public service announcement: make sure to check out this awesome giveaway, which includes $30 to blossom & vine]

i went to a Beth Moore conference [surprising, huh?] a few years ago in Vegas. actually, it was a "Deeper Still" event that included Kay Arthur and Priscilla Shirer, along with Beth Moore. i remember so vividly a point that she made, about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. it wasn't even the purpose of her talk, but it was a side note that stuck with me more than the actual message.

we tend to think of this tree as the one that held the forbidden fruit that eventually introduced original sin into the world. God commanded Adam and Eve never to eat of that tree. anything else in the Garden of Eden was free for their enjoyment, but not that tree. the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

how often do we eat of that tree ourselves, today? anytime we share a juicy bit of gossip, we're inviting our friends to eat of it, aren't we? anytime that we push and prod for more details when a friend is confiding in us, "so we know how to pray", we are eating of the tree. we crave the knowledge of good and evil.

you see, it's not a concept that as left behind in the garden all those years ago. the very thing it represents is such a strong temptation for us still today. we want to know all the details of the neighbor's divorce. why? not really sure, we just want to. we feast on gossip sometimes, don't we? we watch the news because we want to know as much as we can about the latest child abduction. why? just because we want to know. we want to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. and the implications are just as deadly as they were in the garden, the consequences may just take a little longer to develop.

i would encourage you, next time your appetite heightens, take a minute and step back from the situation. is this knowledge going to be beneficial to you or the person it is about? will it be productive or destructive to you, or to others? are you just hungering for more gossip and disguising it with your desire to pray for the person? remember, God doesn't need us to know the details of a situation before we can pray. He already knows everything and the Holy Spirit himself intercedes for us, with groans that we can't even understand.

let's be careful that we don't fall into temptation to eat of the tree. not all knowledge is productive or beneficial for us. even when the details of a situation or event may directly affect or involve you, it may not always be best to know every little thing. will it cause you to become bitter, angry, resentful, unforgiving? maybe it's best not to know about it, in that case.* when you have the choice to receive or not to receive information, please consider, prayerfully, all the consequences that just knowing something can have on your mind and your heart. it is not always good and not always necessary. sometimes it's okay to be oblivious to certain things, and sometimes it's okay to stay out of things that aren't your business. even things that are your business, be very careful what you ask for.

there must be more to this concept than we really comprehend, if it was the one tree in the whole garden that God commanded Adam and Eve to stay away from. it's something has stuck with me for all these years and because of the destructive ways that my mind works, i know i need to make a better effort to consider it before i ask all the details...



* i want to add here that i'm not advising you to act dumb, or remain naive about things that may be vitally important for you to know. i am strongly urging you, from experience, to stop and pray. God is faithful and He will show you if there's more you need to know. but sometimes the details are just hurtful and don't have any fruitful place in your mind and heart. He knows. just ask Him, and then obey as His spirit leads.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

anthro gift card giveaway!!

I'm not sure what else would make your day today besides this:  14 of us  have gotten together to bless one of you with a special treat! We're giving away a $200 Gift Card to Anthropologie!!! There is only one mandatory entry. We just want you to let us know what you would spend the gift card on! All the other entries are bonus entries to increase your chances of winning! The giveaway ends on March 15th. -Ashley@The Vanilla Tulip- -Laura@Bits of Splendor-              -Kaylee@Life Chasers-   -Nat@Take the Cannoli-   -Annie@The Farrar Four-      -Aly@Blossom and Vine-   -Kristen&Allison@Lullaby Lubbock-   -Jenna@Day of Knight-  -Wynne@Gloriously Ruined- -Robyn@The Farmers Nest- -Alex@Peppermint Plum-              -Carina@Lovely Little Whimsy- -Danielle@Take Heart- -Natalie@ NS Pottery- a Raf...

st. patrick's day giveaway!

NAT // NICOLE // GINNY // BETH // HANNA // ALY // MEGAN // LINDSY // ALISSA What about kicking off St. Patricks's day with a good ole' Irish Blessing? That is, by blessing one of you with a $100 Visa Gift Card That's right, $100 to spend on whatever your little heart desires! Need new clothes, now you can go get some. How about some new dishes or linens? Done and done! Don't want to spend your own money on a new vacuum for your Spring cleaning, well then here you go!  There is only one mandatory entry. We just want you to let us know what you would spend your hundred bucks on ! And the other entries are bonus entries to up your chances of winning! (but seriously why wouldn't you want extra entries?) The giveaway ends on March 23rd. Good Luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway for some reason it's not displaying on the page for everyone. go ahead and click the link and it will take you to rafflecopter to enter.

instafriday #22

ahhh, it feels good to be back. it's been a long time since i've dumped my insta-photos on you!  so here we go: my mug swap arrived :) it is so cute, and honestly, this is exactly the kind of reminder i need in the morning. the baby has been waking up at 5:30. it's still dark out. and she doesn't go back to sleep after her bottle :( i need to see it as an opportunity to be thankful, spend time with the Lord, and rejoice...  instead of stumble and groan and wish for more sleep. i'm making a bunch of these cute headbands this weekend.  hoping to have them for sale next week.  aren't they cute? and super-fallish.  i've never been one to pay too much attention to the trends,  or the pantone fashion colors [because honestly i don't have the money. or desire.]  but i do see some tangerine tango and bright chartreuse in these ;) for each grandchild, my husband's family has an ice-cream party tradition at their 6-month b...