He Who Repents In Thorns Sleeps In A Bed Of Roses.
In Bible times life was full of narrow paths, sharp stones and thorns. Several days ago I had to cut down some rose bushes to get to a stucco wall that desperately needed painting. It was a painful reminder that thorns draw blood and when embedded can be very painful.
Life is a mixture of thorns and roses. For every rose there is a thorn. The Bible talks about a “lily among thorns.” The irony is that many people in their spiritually deceived gathering thorns for roses. Was not the Son of God seized, mocked and scourged, buffeted, spit upon and crowned with thorns by a spiritually blind-deceived generation? (See I Timothy 6:10)
Luke 8:14-15 (NIV) reads,
“The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”
Such is the Christian life in this world; it is filled with thorns that choke us so that we do not bear fruit. It is very important, therefore, that we try to avoid these thorns. The seeds of the word of God that we sow within ourselves will be choked out of our lives if we get caught among the thorns.
What Are These Thorns?
But what are these thorns that Jesus warns us about? They are different things to different people because what tempts one person does not necessarily tempt the next. But generally speaking thorns are the pleasures of life that slowly choke the life out of us. They drain our desire for more of Christ and pull us away from Him slowly but surely. Jesus said, “Seek you first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness,” but the painful, prickly thorns of life cause us to pull away from him until he becomes secondary rather than primary in our lives.
Thorns and roses in life go together like hills and valleys; you can’t have one without the other. Yet, even so, we can and should still make a great effort to reduce our contact with these thorns by shielding ourselves against them as much as possible. As Christians we are in the world but not of the world.
The thorns are the pleasures and delights of the world; “life’s worries, riches and pleasures,” as Jesus called them in Luke 8:14. They include sexual temptations, immodest dress, seductive music, financial prestige, political power, boastful greed, all-about-me extravagances in jewelry and art and cloths and cars and furniture and table delights; all for the sake of self-alone, all for the praises of men; but never for the glory of God. The Apostle Paul said “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (I Cor. 10:31) Even for talented men like Solomon and Ahithophel and Gehazi, the Rich Young Ruler… the thorns proved too much. They fell like wooden statutes before Dagon.
Like the mythological Thorn-Bird they impale themselves upon what they think is the perfect torn and hope to die singing a beautiful song. But as Jesus said about the Rich Young Ruler who loved riches more than God; “He walked away sorrowful.” (Mark 10 17-22). Undoubtedly he died upon a thorny pillow
(Read Colossians 3:1-2; Mark 12:29- 31).
Why did Jesus frequently warns us about the dangers of these thorns which we should always be at pains to avoid? Because where your treasure is there your heart is always (See Matthew 6:19 -24; Luke 21: 34-35 )
How powerful are His words when he said; “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
The Pearl of Great price is worth giving up everything for.
He Who Repents In Thorns Sleeps In A Bed Of Roses.
He’s Only a Prayer Away!
Pastor Bryant