Roots of Everything

We want a world of endless options that satisfies our every desire. What we miss is that the roots of everything ultimately derive from just one of two trees—the Tree of Life or the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. 

Think of it like a forest filled with Aspen trees. On the surface, each tree appears to be on its own. But they actually all are a single organism due to a shared root system.  

It’s the same with all businesses, educational systems, churches, political parties, and entertainment programs. They appear to be independent entities offering their own ideas. That’s an illusion. The roots of everything ultimately goes back to one of these two trees—either rooted in life with God or rooted in rebellion against God.  

The best way to know which is to evaluate the fruit of the “tree” in question. 

You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. (Matthew 7:16-17 NLT) 

When it comes to the Tree of Life, we can taste and see that the fruit is good: Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! (Psalm 34:8). And we’re warned that every other fruit, no matter how new or original it looks, is lacking and bitter: Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way, choking on their own schemes. (Proverbs 1:31 NLT) 

We don’t live in a world of endless options. Everything has roots tied to one of two trees.