Thorns of Laziness

"The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns" Proverbs 15:19 Thorns are the part of a rose that noone cares for. I don't think any of us like picking up the beautiful flower, only to be pricked by a nasty thorn on its stem. All of us have thorns in our lives. When I say this, many of you will begin to think of thorns you must deal with. You will more than likely think of a trial you're going through, or a job that you detest doing, or maybe even a specific person who irritates you. But today we are going to focus on our OWN thorns. The thorns AKA things we do that destroy our character. Specifically: the thorns of laziness. All of us are lazy in one way, shape, or form. The Bible has a lot to say about laziness, especially in the book of Proverbs. God says that laziness gets a person nowhere. We could speak a lot about the wrong of being lazy, but lets focus on spiritual laziness. In Hebrews 6, it begins with a calling for people to grow and mature in their faith. Spiritual maturity can be defined in many ways, but in verse seven it is described as being "Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed [and will receive] the blessing of God." Spiritual immaturity or lack of faith is described as "land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned" There is such thing as being spiritually lazy, and this is a very dangerous spot to be in. When your life isn't showing any signs of your faith in Jesus Christ, you are spiritually lazy. The fact is: when you are in Gods word more, you will begin to learn and should apply what you learn. God blesses you for your obedience and faithfulness. "Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper" Proverbs 13:4. "God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised." Hebrews 6:10-12. Don't you want Gods blessing? Don't you want to be known for being close to God and not for being spiritually lazy? Then pick up your dusty Bible and don't just read it, but actually apply it to your daily life! Laziness will entangle you in its thorns, but Jesus Christ can free you from those thorns if you simply allow him to!

Dealing with the Complexity of Our Roses

"The flowers of most species have five petals, with the exception of Rosa sericea, which usually has only four. Each petal is divided into two distinct lobes and is usually white or pink, though in a few species yellow or red. Beneath the petals are five sepals (or in the case of some Rosa sericea, four). These may be long enough to be visible when viewed from above and appear as green points alternating with the rounded petals. There are multiple superior ovaries that develop into achenes".......Wow! I don't know about you, but that seems really complex to me. Roses are very complex flowers. They have many different parts that make them into the beautiful flowers that they are. Without even one of these parts, it wouldn't make the rose that we all adore. Roses, as we know resemble us and our lives, and I'm sure we all can agree that our lives and ourselves are very complicated and complex. The thing is: we all make things complicated. We blame all the work we must do or other people for the bad moods we are in or the stress and anxiety we feel, but really: WE are the ones who CHOOSE to let the stress get to us. We have a choice whether or not to let our bad moods be determined by the things needed to get done or the words people say. We can't let work and people be our excuses as to why we are how we are or why we act how we act. It's time to take responsibility for our rose. It's time to realize that we need to not take life so seriously, and instead focus on Jesus who makes everything less complicated. He can take away our overwhelming feelings of stess from things needed to get done and he can take away those confusing emotions and replace it with a peace that surpasses all understanding. "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7). "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:27).

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!