11/11/2015
Did you know we are like roses?![]() "I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys" (Song of Solomon 2:1). The rose is an interesting flower. Did you know this plant became America's national flower on November 20, 1986? Do you also know that the rose is similar to us Christians? Beauty for ashes The rose is extremely beautiful. Likewise, the Bible tells us that God gives us beauty for ashes. “To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair” (Isaiah 61:3). Grace The rose usually has five petals and five is the number of grace. Ephesians 2:8 reads, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--” Love Furthermore, the rose symbolizes love, sympathy, and sorrow, and we are called to love others and to sympathize with people who are suffering. John 13:34 states, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Watered garden In addition, the rose is planted in a garden to make it more attractive, and we are the garden of the Lord. Isaiah 58:11 states, "And the LORD will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.” Perfume The rose is also used in perfumes and “Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:15, NLT). Thorns Nevertheless, although the rose is striking, they have thorns. Likewise, although we are followers of the King of kings, we have problems that prick our lives, but those thorns are there to push us closer to the bosom of God in prayer and worship. The Bible tells us that “8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body (2 Corinthians 4:8-10, NIV).” Previous posts |
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