HOW DO YOU SEE THINGS?

"The woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise" (Gen 3:6).

The woman saw that the tree was 'good for food' - as if all the other trees which God had provided for her were not good for food and the one which God had told them not to eat was the only one that was good for food! As a matter of fact, all the trees were good for food (Gen 2:9), but when a man loses his spiritual vision and love for God, things that are evil seem good in his sight. The Israelites found manna distasteful and abhorred it, when it was actually sweeter than honey, and they found the Egyptian cucumbers and onions most delicious!

The tree was also 'pleasant to the eyes'. All the treees which God created were pleasant to the sight, but the woman imagines that this tree is the only one that is pleasant to look at. It is still the tendency of human beings to find no satisfaction in the things God has provided for them; and their dissatisfaction leads to lust and sin.

The woman also saw the tree as 'a tree to be desired to make one wise' - as if God had created her as a fool and as if she could become wise with her own cleverness. In fact, the truth was the other way round; while all the other trees could have made her wise, this forbidden tree could only make her a fool. She was not satisfied with the wisdom that God had given her and by trying to get the wisdom in her own way, she became the first fool and the No.1 fool on earth!

Child of God, 'godliness with contentement is great gain" (I Tim 6:6). When we have a good spiritual vision about God's grand plan concerning our life and learn the secret to be content in all situations like St.Paul, we will not find anything other than spiritual things, good, pleasant or desirable.

- Late Pastor T.U.Thomas, in 'Morning Manna'