We need a vision to see that the whole Bible presents us a picture that God is the tree of life good for food to us. This is why the tree of life is at the beginning of the Bible and at the end of the Bible (Gen. 2:9; [129] Rev. 22:2, 14). In between these two ends of the Bible are many negative stories concerning the Lord’s people being distracted, frustrated, and hindered from enjoying God as the tree of life. All the positive stories in the Bible show us God’s chosen people enjoying God as the tree of life in different aspects. The tree of life changed in form to a lamb because of the fall. Now we have to enjoy Him as the redeeming Lamb. After we enjoy Him in His redemptive aspect, we immediately have to enjoy Him as the nourishing, energizing Lamb. We need to learn to enjoy the Lord in such an eating way. Eating the Lord will turn us from the outer court to the Holy Place. By eating Him we will be transformed into precious materials to be built up with others for God’s building (1 Pet. 2:5). Then there will be a house, a temple, for the Lord’s rest, and in this temple we will enjoy the Lord in the fullest way. Thus, the purpose of God will be fulfilled. Finally, the house, the temple, will be enlarged to the city, which is the ultimate consummation of God’s eternal intention. God’s intention is realized by our eating Him. We all have to learn how to eat, how to feast, on the Lord.

The Lord Jesus became the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b). He is the Spirit who gives life (2 Cor. 3:6; John 6:63). We can receive this life by feeding on Him in the spirit. We have to learn how to exercise our spirit to contact the Lord. This is why the departing word of the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4:22 says, “The Lord be with your spirit.” The Lord Jesus is the life-giving Spirit with our spirit. We have to learn how to exercise our spirit to feed on Him, to feast on Him, to eat of Him. If we enjoy Him by the way of eating, this will turn us from outside the Lord’s house to the inside, and this will transform us from pieces of clay into precious stones good for God’s building.