An Apple a Day?
April 18, 2007
If you are familiar with
the saying that begins with "An Apple a Day", and I would say most of us
have heard it before, do you know its origin? Actually the author
is unknown and it is the opening line of an old nursery rhyme. In
its complete form, here is the rhyme:
"An apple a day,
sends the doctor away,
Apple in the morning
Doctor's warning,
Roast apple at night
starves the doctor outright,
Eat an apple going to
bed Knock the doctor on the head,
Three each day, seven
days a week Ruddy apple, ruddy cheek!"
Nursery rhyme notwithstanding,
the apple is a tree fruit that has come to be viewed as a contributor to
our medical well-being. Actually it isn't so much the apple
itself, but rather that it represents healthy eating habits about which
we all need to be more diligent.
The apple however has
a storied history at best and its origin generally can be tracked to the
Romans who likely introduced the fruit to Western Europe and the British
Isles and eventually spread to North America and other locales that offered
a suitable climate.
Further, legend only tells
us that the apple is supposedly the fruit that Eve offered Adam in the
Garden of Eden. Their actual story is recounted in the Bible in the
opening Chapters of the Book of Genesis. With regard to historical
accuracy it must be noted that the Bible gives no evidence that the apple
was the fruit she offered her husband. The only reference to any
fruit is God's specific instructions to them that they were not to eat
of the fruit of the tree of good and evil and there is no description of
that fruit.
Now a great many are familiar
with the story, although some may doubt that it can be considered as fact
because they simply do not accept the Bible as anything other than a work
of fiction. However, those of us that believe and accept the Bible
as the true and inspired word of God have over the ages come to accept
that the fruit was likely the apple.
So far as the story of
Adam and Eve as well as this blog is concerned, the focus is not about
the fruit, but rather it is about what its consumption represents.
God specifically told Adam "you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
As the account goes Eve
was tempted by the serpent (Satan) to eat the fruit and she did, and then
so did Adam. This disobedience is the origin of man's sin in the
world and the evils that we see all around us are related to this early
act of not complying with this very specific command of God.
Throughout the remainder
of the Bible, there are repeated references to the transgression of Adam
and Eve. It is referred to as "original sin" and it has caused man
to be separated from God. Jesus Christ came to earth at God's command
and his sacrifice on the cross and resurrection that we commemorated only
a few days ago was to atone for that original sin as well as our specific
immoral deeds.
Romans 3:23 says, "...for
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". Then later in
Chapter 5, Verse 12 it says, " Therefore, just as sin entered the world
through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all
people, because all sinned—". In Verse 8, ...while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us."
The evil of Blacksburg,
Virginia, the Holocaust or 9-11 occurred because it is the nature of man
to do terrible things. The Bible teaches us that the root for these
atrocities is that event of willful disobedience to the specific prohibition
that God gave to our forebear, Adam.
We have a way to come
out from under this curse of sin and a continued exclusion from the presence
of God both now and in the hereafter. Christ's death is the punishment
that He accepted on our behalf and by the shedding of His blood, He atones
for our evil ways. His subsequent resurrection and restoration to
the right hand of God the Father is our promise for an eternity by the
simple act of believing and accepting this truth.
Christ said that He is
the way, the truth and the life, and none of us can get to the Father God
except through Him. Various texts refer to Jesus Christ's death and
resurrection and that a simple, childlike acceptance and belief is what
we need to come back into the family of God by His Grace and Mercy.
I mentioned in my previous
blog that there is a way that each of us can attain a life beyond this
life; the eternal life offered by God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Simply it is a prayer that you could pray right now and your life could
change! Just speak to God now and say:
"Father God, I accept
that through Adam and by my own actions I am a sinner and removed from
your presence. I thank you for sending your Son to pay for my sins
and I ask for your forgiveness and repent. Lord Jesus come into my
life and make me and mold me in the way I should be so that my eternity
is secure in you. Thank you Father, Amen!"
If you prayed that prayer
in earnest then this can be the first day of the rest of your life and
beyond. Also if you indeed prayed that prayer, please contact me
and together we can discuss and learn more about God's grace and Mercy.
In closing my prayer would
be, "Father God, bless us all, we thank you for being who you say you are
and we accept your grace and mercy, by your will lead us and guide on a
path that would bring us into your magnificent presence. Thank you
Lord, Amen"
I hope this will change
the way that you will look at apples from now on!
