Life and Death
  Freedom and Bondage
A vivid reminder of how close we walk to death, even
as we walk in life.
When I saw these two trees standing side by side, but in such opposite conditions, one is alive the other
is dead.  I was inspired by the Lord to take a photo of them and explain them to you from the
perspective He gave me.

So often we think we have death beat, we believe it can never touch us.  We walk around acting like we
have it all together.  But let us not forget we came from death!  It is the Lord that gave us life, in
ourselves we were dead to sin, lost in an ever-dying world.  John 5:24 I assure you, those who listen to
my message and believe in God who sent me, have eternal life.  They will never be condemned for their
sins, but they have already passed from death to life.(NLT) The Lord took us from death to life.

Just like these two trees, we were so close to life, but still so far away.  It is not the trees that give each
other life, if it was, both trees in the picture would be alive and well.  It is their roots, the source that
feeds the roots, that brings them to life and that keeps them alive.  John 5:35 Jesus replied, "I am the
bread of life No one who comes to me will ever go hungry again.  Those who believe in me will never
thirst."(NLT)  Jesus is our source for life, not our neighbor, not our parent, our pastor, our best friend
or even our spouse.  We can stand right next to them as they live in Christ, dying from our roots if we
do not eat and drink from the life source, Jesus Christ.

What really struck me in this picture is that both trees were alive and well at one time.  The tree that is
now dead, was once alive and strong.  It started as a small sprout in the forest of trees, and grew big
and tall, it was even taller than the tree that is still living!  But it is now dead, it has lost its life source.  
But even more than that, it is still standing right next to the tree that is full of life!  How often does this
really happen in the body of Christ?  More often than we would like to admit.  

I was encouraging a young man in this area just the other day.  He was struggling with some personal
issues, I told him "brother, you need to get into your Word, you need to seek the Lord in this, don't let it
get you down, don't let it cause you to stumble and possibly fall."  He said, "Sister Erin, you are always
so adamant about reading and feeding on the Word, why is that?"  I began to share with him, how easy
it was to go from life to death, to become a casualty of war.  The young man says," that seems a little
far fetched, I am not that close to death, and how would you know, you seem so strong!"  I had to
laugh, then sadly I had to explain to this young man, how far I fell from life to death in my youth.  Just
like these trees.  I was a young strong Christian, but I began to pass the plate, on my daily bread, to not
read and pray.  But,  the world did not pass the plate on me, the temptations kept coming, and eventually
I fell, I sinned, then did it again, and again, till eventually I turned my back on the source of life, and
died!  As I continued to share with my young brother, his face began to reflect the understanding he
was getting.  He began to understand just how close we walk to death.  In life, we must remember the
Lord is our daily bread, we are nothing in ourselves, but a dead tree!  We must eat daily to grow.  
Mathew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.(NASB), 1 Corinthians10:12 Therefore let him who
thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.(NASB)

We also must be discerning, how may of us go to church every Sunday, and see dead trees?  Do we
intercede for them?  Do we love on them?  Or do we just stand there as the tree in this picture is, right
next to the dead tree, not paying any attention to it?  No, we are not the source that gives them life, but
we are a natural resource to them, that can help them to breathe, and be a support to them. Ecclesiastes
4:9&10  Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them
falls the one will lift up his companion.  But, woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift
him up.(NASB)

Choosing life is a daily choice.  It is a lifelong journey.  Although the journey can be hard at times, it is
better with a companion and our daily bread, our life source, Jesus Christ, the way the truth and the
Life!