The Tree We Live From
More Than Trying To Be Good
“The mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” — Romans 8:6
When Goodness Became A Burden
I used to measure my relationship with God by how well I behaved.
When I failed, I condemned myself; when I succeeded, I congratulated myself. Been there, done that!
I wanted to please Abba, but even my best days revolved around my performance rather than enjoying His love.
Two Very Different Sources
The trees in Eden help me picture the contrast.
Living from the knowledge of good and evil kept me occupied with evaluating myself.
Living from Jesus, the Tree of Life, frees me to enjoy the relationship already ours.
Not striving to arrive, but living from the Love that has already welcomed me.
Love Working Within Us
This freedom doesn’t leave us indifferent to how we treat people.
The Holy Spirit lovingly helps us recognize what needs healing and changes our minds so we can respond from His heart.
When He shows me I’ve hurt someone, I can listen, apologize, and make amends without believing I’ve lost my place in the family.
His correction draws me into communion, not back into proving myself.
Goodness We Get To Share
Our union with Abba, Jesus, and Holy Spirit isn’t a reward for getting life right.
It is the Life from which we get to live.
We can stop turning every failure into a verdict and every success into a trophy.
His grace works within our humanity, making Love something our families, friends, and neighbors can experience.
We aren’t trying to be good enough for Love. We are loved enough to let His goodness become our way of life.
Reflection
Have I been measuring my performance or enjoying Abba?
What is the Holy Spirit helping me see differently?
Who could experience His Love through me today?
Prayer
Abba Father, thank You for this freedom. Let the joy of our shared Life become the love we give one another. Amen.