Day 1

The woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and the tree was desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Genesis 3:6

Our story begins with the oldest members of our family tree, Adam and Eve! God created them in His image and likeness and placed them in a beautiful garden called Eden. In His love for them, God gave them everything within the garden to enjoy—with one exception: They were not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 

Adam and Eve lived in perfect harmony with creation and shared in God’s Divine Life until one day the devil tricked Eve. The devil planted a lie in Eve’s heart—he tempted her to believe that God was holding back something very good from her and Adam. 

This lie took root in Eve’s heart, and she soon began to doubt God’s perfect love for them. She actually believed that God didn’t desire the absolute best for her! When she doubted God, the temptation to sin became stronger. Before long (like 5 minutes), she was eating the fruit of the tree and sharing it with Adam!

God’s heart ached over Adam and Eve’s decision to sin. In disobeying, they turned their back on God. As a just consequence, they had to leave the Garden of Eden. They no longer lived in perfect harmony with creation and no longer shared in the Divine Life of God. As their descendants, all of us are born with the stain of Adam and Eve’s sin; this is called “original sin.” 

Out of God’s perfect love and mercy for our family, He opened a path to reconciliation so one day we could share in God’s Divine Life again! It would take a long time for “The Way” to be fully understood. The Jesse tree is a walk along this path, often called “Salvation History.” 

Adam and Eve’s story reminds us that God always wants the absolute best for us. God’s way is always the best….Just follow His path, He knows “The Way!” (John 14:6)