{"id":4216,"date":"2021-04-24T09:51:46","date_gmt":"2021-04-24T13:51:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/?p=4216"},"modified":"2021-04-24T09:51:46","modified_gmt":"2021-04-24T13:51:46","slug":"heaven-serenades-what-is-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/heaven-serenades-what-is-life\/","title":{"rendered":"HEAVEN SERENADES: What is Life?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In 2018, I wrote a seven-part series called, <strong>\u201cTwo Trees in the Garden of Our Hearts.\u201d<\/strong> If you haven\u2019t read them, I think they will be quite interesting in understanding sin and the <em>flesh,<\/em> represented by <strong>The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil<\/strong>, operating in our lives. It also reveals the beautiful gift of Jesus Christ represented by <strong>The Tree of Life<\/strong>. He gave us the fullness of His life and kingdom to live<em> in and through us.<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/two-trees-in-the-garden-of-our-hearts-part-1\/\">https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/two-trees-in-the-garden-of-our-hearts-part-1\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Since the beginning of time, man has been trying to make sense of life. He has been trying to understand how mankind can be so evil and yet so good. How can they act like mere beasts then act like angels? Why do they kill, steal, and destroy each other, and at the same time restore, are so generous, and rescue each other from despair? This is no mystery; the Bible tells us why. Mankind was created in the image of their Father, God. But, man chose to live life from his ingenuity and power, called\u00a0<em>the flesh<\/em>. Instead of drawing his life and source of life from God, he chose to be as a <em>god<\/em>\u00a0to himself. And you guessed it, just look at the monster he has become, and the chaos and destruction he has caused by eating from the deadly tree of\u00a0<strong>The Knowledge of Good and Evil.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>Here\u2019s an excerpt from Part 7 of the series.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/whats-eating-at-me\/tree-with-roots-e1367263221857-2\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-1457\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1457\" src=\"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Tree-with-Roots-e1367263221857.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"377\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Tree-with-Roots-e1367263221857.jpg 500w, https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Tree-with-Roots-e1367263221857-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Tree-with-Roots-e1367263221857-358x270.jpg 358w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Looks Good to the Eyes but Deadly to the Soul!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Over the past few weeks, we have looked intently at the \u2018Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.\u2019 We have discovered it to be the forbidden tree because whenever we eat from it, we behave as<em> \u2018little gods&#8217; <\/em>unto ourselves. The enemy of our souls couldn\u2019t destroy us, so his way of controlling us is through the <em>flesh<\/em>. We have come to understand that its hideous fruits bring death to our souls every time we eat from it. It also sets us at odds and war with the only loving Father we were created to depend on and be loved by. We were made aware the \u2018Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil\u2019 brought us:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Independence<\/li>\n<li>Control<\/li>\n<li>Fear<\/li>\n<li>Masks and strategies on how to hide and pretend<\/li>\n<li>Ways to meet our own intimate needs<\/li>\n<li>All about <em>I, my, and me<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Death \u2013 the absence of Life <em>(peace, joy, rest, love, grace)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Today, we will turn our eyes to the other tree in the garden of our souls; the tree our Father says to eat from and we will find <em>rest <\/em>for our souls\u2026 \u2018The Tree of Life.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/whats-eating-at-me\/12-fruit-2\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-1456\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1456\" src=\"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/12-Fruit.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"485\" height=\"364\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/12-Fruit.png 485w, https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/12-Fruit-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/12-Fruit-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 485px) 100vw, 485px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>The Tree of Life, Christ&#8217;s Life, Bearing the Fruit of the Spirit Within Us!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The \u2018Tree of Life\u2019 represents the Light, Life of Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Outside of them, there is <strong>No Life! <\/strong>We experience only a meager existence and a drive to survive. Jesus Christ came into our hearts to reveal the truth of who we really are and our true purpose for living. He destroyed the power of <em>the flesh<\/em> in us when we died to our old life and nature on the cross <strong>with Him<\/strong>. We NO longer have to yield to or obey the power of sin and <em>the fles<\/em>h; we have the power to say, No!\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Jesus IS OUR LIFE and the Source of ALL LIFE!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>For by Him (Jesus Christ)\u00a0<strong>ALL<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>things<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>were<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>created<\/strong>\u00a0in heaven and on earth, [<strong>things<\/strong>] visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities;\u00a0<strong>ALL<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>things<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>were created<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0exist through Him [that is, by His activity] and <strong>FOR Him<\/strong><\/em>. <strong>Colossians 1:16<\/strong> (Amplified)<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Everything and everyone has their <strong>source of life<\/strong> <strong>and purpose ONLY in Christ<\/strong>. We were created to be completely <strong>dependent<\/strong> upon Him every moment of our lives. Just like we need air to breathe and water to drink, we <strong>NEED<\/strong> Jesus Christ to sustain us in our spirits, bodies, our thoughts, wills, and emotions.\u00a0We are like fish gasping for air on dry land when we don\u2019t find Jesus as our source of life. Let me explain. When things don\u2019t go as we wish or as we plan, what are the emotions that take over\u2026 disappointment, or frustration right? When the stresses of life overwhelm us and we can\u2019t get a handle on life, what emotions or thoughts come to our minds? Fear, anxiety, or worry, right? He is our<strong> TREE OF LIFE TO EAT FROM EVERY MOMENT OF THE DAY.\u00a0 EAT FROM HIM&#8230; ENJOY HIM!<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>WHAT IS LIFE?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Copyright \u00a9 2005 Tresca S. Grannum<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">What is life, as I search each day?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Trying to figure out what our Lord might say.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">What is life, tell me why am I here?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">To live in such distresses to experience such fear.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">What is life, my soul yearns to know?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Why am I here, I just want to know?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Life is a place where the souls of man trod.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">It is a place prepared for them by God.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">It is a holy place where His purifying takes place.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">It is a sacred place revealing His mercy and grace.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Life is God\u2019s training ground and here He sifts away the chaff.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">So His true sons can walk in His Holy paths.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Life is where we meet face to face with our <em>flesh<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Here we experience death as His life and truth are manifest.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Life is where suffering becomes not our foe but our friend.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">As we yield to Father\u2019s Holy hands He removes the stains of sin.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Life is where sorrow and darkness finally are left.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">We learn to experience God\u2019s fullness, while peace and love are felt.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">What is life, as I search each day?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Trying to figure out what our Lord might say.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">What is life, tell me why am I here?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">To live in His holiness and become free from all fear.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">What is life, I now understand?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>To allow the Life of Christ to live in me was always His perfect plan.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>In the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the Tree of Life, bearing twelve <i>kinds of<\/i> fruit, yielding its fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. <strong>Revelation 22:2<\/strong> (Amplified)<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Enjoy Christ and Enjoy Life!<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"likebtn_container\" style=\"\"><!-- LikeBtn.com BEGIN --><span class=\"likebtn-wrapper\"  data-identifier=\"post_4216\"  data-site_id=\"5ac717e5fa8fdf9c02f8d759\"  data-ef_voting=\"push\"  data-white_label=\"true\"  data-style=\"\"  data-unlike_allowed=\"\"  data-show_copyright=\"\"  data-item_url=\"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/heaven-serenades-what-is-life\/\"  data-item_title=\"HEAVEN SERENADES: What is Life?\"  data-item_date=\"2021-04-24T09:51:46-04:00\"  data-engine=\"WordPress\"  data-plugin_v=\"2.6.59\"  data-prx=\"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php?action=likebtn_prx\"  data-event_handler=\"likebtn_eh\" ><\/span><!-- LikeBtn.com END --><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0 In 2018, I wrote a seven-part series called, \u201cTwo Trees in the Garden of Our Hearts.\u201d If you haven\u2019t read them, I think they will be quite interesting in understanding sin and the flesh, represented by The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, operating in our lives. It also reveals the beautiful gift of Jesus Christ represented by The Tree of Life. He gave us the fullness of His life and kingdom to live in and through&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/heaven-serenades-what-is-life\/\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"likebtn_container\" style=\"\"><!-- LikeBtn.com BEGIN --><span class=\"likebtn-wrapper\"  data-identifier=\"post_4216\"  data-site_id=\"5ac717e5fa8fdf9c02f8d759\"  data-ef_voting=\"push\"  data-white_label=\"true\"  data-style=\"\"  data-unlike_allowed=\"\"  data-show_copyright=\"\"  data-item_url=\"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/heaven-serenades-what-is-life\/\"  data-item_title=\"HEAVEN SERENADES: What is Life?\"  data-item_date=\"2021-04-24T09:51:46-04:00\"  data-engine=\"WordPress\"  data-plugin_v=\"2.6.59\"  data-prx=\"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php?action=likebtn_prx\"  data-event_handler=\"likebtn_eh\" ><\/span><!-- LikeBtn.com END --><\/div>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"post-thumbnail":false,"nisarg-full-width":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Tresca Grannum","author_link":"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/author\/tresca\/"},"uagb_comment_info":2,"uagb_excerpt":"\u00a0 In 2018, I wrote a seven-part series called, \u201cTwo Trees in the Garden of Our Hearts.\u201d If you haven\u2019t read them, I think they will be quite interesting in understanding sin and the flesh, represented by The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, operating in our lives. It also reveals the beautiful&hellip;","post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4216"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4216\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4224,"href":"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4216\/revisions\/4224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}