Rose of Death

A black rose obviously isn't something you want to give as a gift to someone you love. Black is the color which has always been associated with death and the dark side of human nature. Whether we like it or not, we all have a blackness inside of us. What do we call this "dark side"? Sin. Let's look closer at the word. Sin leads to consequences: death. It can be death of a relationship, death of an opportunity, death of trust, physical death, etc. Deciding to try drugs for the first time as a result of falling into peer pressure can lead to physical death. Deciding to lie to someone you love can lead to trust issues forming between you and that person when they find out the truth you have been trying to conceal. Deciding to post a status on facebook cussing out a friend of yours for something they did could cost you an opportunity for work when the employer checks your facebook and decides you are not a respectable enough person for the job. If you take a careful look at your life, most, if not all, of your sin has led to negative consequences and repercussions. The good news is, death can be followed by rebirth, and that is why black roses inspire many to start afresh. When we look at our sinful selves, the blackness we have in our lives, we should open our eyes to the fact that we need to change and that true,lasting change can only come through Jesus Christ. He offers a fresh start; 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." Any day, any time, Christ offers us a new beginning. Open your eyes to the blackness of your rose and let God transform it into the beautiful creation he meant it to be!

Deeply Rooted

Seen in the picture above are the instructions for planting a rose. What is the most important step that the instructions are trying to get across? The key points are to make sure that the rose is buried deeply and securely, locking in moisture. In the same way, our lives need to be buried deeply and securely in Jesus. In Luke 6:47-48, Jesus says, "I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built." When we are constantly in the Bible looking up the promises God gives us, the comforting words he provides for us, the commands he communicates to us, then we are placing Jesus as our foundation. When we are buried deeply and securely in Jesus, then even when our lives seem to be falling apart, he will hold us up. He will give you a peace in the midst of the storm. Don't let your rose simply rest on the surface.

The Impossible

A lot of times in life, we find ideas, situations, goals, etc to be impossible rather than possible. We view the glass half empty rather than half full. We give up after we've just started, with no motivation to go on. People tell us to keep trying, stay strong. The media relays countless accounts of others who show such strength. Artists sing about staying strong and getting back up after a tragedy. But in the midst of a tragedy in our OWN lives, it seems impossible to live up to those expectations. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" seems like a false hope. The tragedy SEEMS to be killing us; eating us alive inside. How do we gain the courage and strength to keep going on when all seems lost? We don't- Jesus does. We don't have the ability to carry on, that's why we must depend on our creator and His Word to bring us through. Luke 1:37, "For nothing is impossible with God." God is God. He can do anything. He can bring you through your trial. "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10). The blue rose stands for the unattainable, the impossible. The good news? The blue rose is artificial, not real. It is man-made. And that itself symbolizes that we are the ones who put the false idea in our heads that something is impossible when, in fact, nothing is impossible with God.

Handling Your Rose with Care

So often we want God's promises, his protection, his care over our rose, but we don't want to be the ones who do any work. We don't want to obey God, we don't want to take time out of our day to get to know him, we decide to skip church to sleep in; and who is this hurting? Ourselves. God doesn't NEED us, but he wants us to join him! When we don't, WE are the ones at a loss. A flower bud which takes in water, but doesn't use it to blossom into a beautiful rose is useless. The same applies to our lives. If we know what to do and how to obey God to transform us into the beautiful rose we are meant to be and don't do it, we are useless! If we aren't focusing on that which lasts(Jesus Christ), and rather focus all our energies on the things of this world, which in the end will waste away, then of what use are we? "The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever," (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). Handle your rose with care; focus on the internal, not just the external. "[Your focus] should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight." (1 Peter 3:4). Focus on the spiritual more than the physical, for the physical will waste away, but the spiritual lasts forever.

The Orange Rose

When you think of a rose, pink or red are probably the first colors which come to mind, but there are also orange roses. Orange roses are meant to symbolize enthusiasm or desire. They may be called "fiery blooms," because of their underlying message of passion and excitement. Looking at the Bible, Jesus is always calling believers to passionately share their faith. He doesn't want us to just SAY we believe in Him and go to church on Sundays as part of our weekly ritual, but he wants us to take ACTION! Proverbs 12:14 says, "People will be rewarded for what they say, but they will also be rewarded for what they do!" James, the half brother of Jesus Christ and also one of His disciples, states very clearly that faith and actions go hand in hand. "Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this [life] if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup- where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?" (James 2:14-17). James is trying to say that Jesus wants us to be fired up for Him! He wants us to have such enthusiasm and desire for Him that it is seen in our actions! Instead of just attending church and having a glazed look on our face, not really paying attention to the message being preached, we need to PAY ATTENTION, so we can go LIVE what we learn! Pam Gibbs said "The things you do because you believe in God and His Word breathe life into your faith!" So let your faith come alive! Let God turn your black rose of dead faith into an orange rose of enthusiasm to go out and live for Him!

The True Gardener

We are the roses, so who is the gardener? The answer obviously is Jesus Christ. But if he is the gardener, than how come we don't always recognize him as so? Sometimes we like to switch roles. “In their hearts humans plan their course, but THE LORD establishes their steps.”(Proverbs 16:9). It's easier for us to be the gardener and God the rose than to have to deal with blossoming the way Christ wants us to. We tend to make God what we want him to be. We don't like to change, so we ignore the parts of the Bible that tell us what we are doing wrong, and we only pay attention to the parts that tell us what we are doing right. But as said in the quote in the picture above, we need to let God carve away the parts that aren't supposed to be there. In order to truly become the roses that Christ wants us to be, we have to give him the tools. He is the only one who can change us; we can't truly change ourselves. If we want a change that LASTS, than we have to put the tools in the TRUE gardener's hands, and let him carve away anything not apart of the original design. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”(Jeremiah 29:11).

The Rose of Friendship

A yellow rose represents friendship, joy, and caring. A bouquet of these sun-filled blossoms conveys warmth, gladness, and affection. Every red rose needs a yellow rose in their life. We all need one person to call friend. That one person that we can tell everything to. The one person that is there for us in the good times and bad. The one we can go to for advice when we don't seem to know what to do. Jesus Christ tells us in the bible we need a friend like this. Now how are we to know the qualities of a genuine yellow rose? C.S. Lewis once said, "The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are." How do you define wise? Wise in the bible is knowing the Word and living by it. A genuine yellow rose is blossoming in the Lord. They love Jesus Christ and they live their life, not perfectly (since no one is perfect), but based upon the Word of God. Proverbs 13:20 says, "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." Choose a WISE friend. Why is it important to have a wise friend? Why is it important to have close friendships even though we already have God? "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17). Just as bad company corrupts good morals, good company increases good morals. (1 Corinthians 15:33). When you are around a person who is a follower of Jesus, it ends up influencing you. Those sort of people help you blossom at an even faster rate! An example of such a loving and blossoming friendship can be found in Ruth and Naomi. "Ruth said [to Naomi], “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” (Ruth 1:16-17). You know you have a true friend when they stick by you no matter what! That is a true yellow rose! The question is: are you that friend? Are you that yellow rose to someone else? If not, find someone! Friendship is vital in the Christian life! So go let your sun-filled blossom shine!