"New Year"

It’s a New Year! Time to reflect, refocus, recommit, and remember the nourishment that gives us life. How we spend our time. Where we invest our energy. What we nourish our physical and spiritual bodies with.

I am a student of God’s Word; however, I have yet to commit to reading the Bible in chronological order from Genesis to Revelation. So this year, I’m accepting the challenge! I picked up the Daily Bible after several friends recommended it as an incredible journey. On January 1, the reading was out of Genesis 1-3, and I was reminded of a faith conversation with my son. When my son was in elementary school, he came home one day and asked why God would place a cherubim and a flaming sword in the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve’s disobedience and the Fall of humanity. I remember reading the passage with him and chewing on it for days following. My son asked a question, and I wanted to give him an answer. Almost two decades later, and I am still fascinated by this passage. So if you are doing a chronological Bible reading for 2026, chances are you read this same passage yesterday, too.

“And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”  So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.  After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” Genesis 3:22-24.

What stands out to you in this passage? There are two trees in the Garden of Eden: the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and the tree of life. Why does this matter? Well, if Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and then took from the tree of life, what would be the consequence? Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden because of their disobedience. However, the consequence for their disobedience is the genesis of God’s amazing grace and the depth of His mercy. If Adam and Eve took from the tree of life after they had eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would “live forever” separated from God. God banished Adam and Eve to protect them from a devastating consequence of eternal separation, and Jesus would be the redeemer who would restore what was lost.

Reading Genesis 3 prompted me to delve deeper into the tree of life. Here are just a few passages that I dug into yesterday:

“And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Genesis 2:9

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” Revelation 2:7

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” Revelation 22:1-21

Where did your Bible reading take you yesterday?
Would love to hear!

Praying for all accepting the Bible reading challenge. May we feast on the Word and savor every meal in the New Year! Most importantly may we fall deeper in love with Jesus!