the tree of life is the way to fulfill God’s purpose and it is so rich and sufficient!

God’s purpose is related to man – He desires to be expressed in man, to have a corporate expression in humanity. But what is the way, as revealed in the Bible, for God to accomplish His purpose? The carrying out of God’s economy depends on the tree of life – the tree of life is the way to fulfill God’s economy (see 1 Tim. 1:4 and Eph. 3:9). God’s purpose can be fulfilled only by God’s life – we are not meant to try in ourselves to fulfill God’s purpose; we need to take God in as life and allow Him to live out in us the life that fulfills His heart’s desire.

The tree of life is the center of the universe

The center of the whole universe is the tree of life – the universe is centered on the earth, the earth is centered on the garden of Eden, and the center of the garden of Eden is the tree of life. God’s intention, His purpose, is that man would express Him and represent Him, exercising His authority to deal with God’s enemy. The way God fulfills His purpose is by the tree of life – if God as life is in us and lives in us, if the tree of life is in us and continually nourishes us, we can fulfill God’s purpose!

Nothing is more central and crucial to God and also to man than than the tree of life (Gen. 3:22; Rev. 2:14). God’s purpose can be fulfilled only by man taking in the tree of life and allowing this life to live in him!

God putting man in front of the tree of life after creating him shows that the way God wants His purpose to be fulfilled is by coming into man in the form of food to supply man and be everything to man!

Christ is the tree of life

“In Him was life” (John 1:4), “I am the way and the reality and the life” (John 14:6), and “I am the vine, you are the branches” (John 15:1) – these verses show us that Christ is a tree, a vine tree, even the tree of life.

On the one hand, Christ is the bread of life – He is life; on the other hand, He is the vine tree – a tree. If we put these two together, we see that Christ is the tree of life, and He desires man to take Him in as life. Christ as the tree of life coming into man can fulfill God’s purpose in man!

In Revelation 22:2 we see that “on this side and on that side of the river was the tree of life” – this kind of a tree is a vine tree, growing on both sides of the river, spreading and proceeding alongside the banks of the river.

After the fall of man the way to the tree of life was closed (see Gen. 3:22-24), but it was opened again through the redemption of Christ (see Heb. 10:19-20).

Today we have Christ as the tree of life as our common portion as believers (John 6:35). For eternity we will enjoy Christ as the tree of life as our reward (Rev. 2:7) and our eternal portion (Rev. 22:14, 19).

The fruit of the tree of life is rich and sufficient

Firstly we have seen that the way to fulfill God’s purpose even from the beginning is by man eating and digesting the tree of life. Throughout the Bible we see many who eat the tree of life and some others who didn’t eat the tree of life but tried their best in their own efforts and failed. Eventually, in the New Jerusalem we see the tree of life again – producing fresh fruit every month. These twelve fruits every year, fresh fruit every month, show that the fruit of the tree of life is rich and sufficient for the completion in God’s eternal administration!

We need to be reminded again and again – forget about trying and struggling to do something, and pay attention to eating the tree of life! The way we take in the church life, the primary way in the practical day-to-day church life, is eating and enjoying Christ as the tree of life. We have no other way – we not only see this throughout the Scriptures but even in our own life we realize that the only way to live the Christian life and fulfil God’s purpose is to eat Christ as the tree of life! Eating Jesus is the way!

[sharing inspired from, The Tree of Life, and, the Conclusion of the New Testament, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Four Great Pillars in the Lord’s Recovery. ]

Lord Jesus, You are the tree of life! Save us from focusing on anything else except life – the divine life, the tree of life! Make us those who daily eat You as the tree of life, taking You in and digesting You! O, Lord, the fruit of the tree of life is so rich and so sweet to our taste. Fill us with life – saturate us with the divine life. We want to take no other way in the church life! Life is the way!