"Warning...Do not eat."

I sat in service one Sunday morning and I listened to the pastor talk about how God explained to Adam over in the book of Genesis; that he was permitted to eat from any tree in the garden, "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it:" Genesis 2:17 the prohibition went on to also explain the consequences of eating from this tree.

The words that were spoken reminded me of the same type of prohibitions that were placed on us as we were growing up in a neighborhood that had an abundance of fruit trees. We, of course were instructed that there were trees that we were able to eat from at anytime, and there were trees we were to never eat from. The consequences of eating from the "forbidden" trees were also given. Although, the punishment wasn't necessarily that we would surely die, but that if we did we would get very sick and probably wish we would die.

We as believers must always keep in our minds and understand that the Lord doesn't tell us not to do something just for no apparent reason, but that there is always a better alternative. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil wasn't the only tree in the garden at that time; it was just the only tree they weren't to eat from because the results were very detrimental.

Let's remember to to read the warnings and precautions on the label before we take of that which is forbidden, because there is a tree of life that is just waiting for those with enough faith to reach up and partake of...that tree is the Lord himself.