The War of the Roses

I must love roses because I have managed to have accumulated 27 rose bushes in my yard. And I bought 3 more yesterday. Somebody stop me!

It is the time of year to prune them. I really didn't know I had 27 bushes until I counted as I pruned.  I cut away dead branches and off shoots. I took away height so the bushes will spread out and be full of blooms in the spring and not be sparse and leggy. I took away more than I left but I know from past experience that it will produce the kind of plant I want. Of course dealing with all those thorny branches is no fun. I felt like I was at war with each bush when I had to deal with avoiding getting stuck. But this is all part of maintaining the bushes.

Because I was cutting away the top part of the plant I could see what was underneath. There were dead branches, weeds, and general debris that are not helpful to the plant so that had to be cleared away too.

All this time with the roses gave me time to think. It dawned on me that God had a little something to say about pruning me. So when I was finished outdoors I looked in the Bible for the story. I found it in John 15:1-11:

 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vine dresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.  Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.  If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."

  

Verse 2 was the thorny part for me. Yes, I know Jesus is like the vine with us as the branches. Yes, I know God is the One who separates the ones of us attached to Christ from those who are not. I understood all that. But the part that God prunes every Christian so we will be productive stuck and struck me for the first time.

I imagined God taking away the top part of my life (the part that looks good and the part I show to everyone) and revealing to me the junk underneath. That’s the part, the sin, which I need to clear away to bear more fruit. Those are the areas of my life where sin creeps in like weeds, where forgiven dead stuff is not cleared away, and where unresolved problems in relationships gather like debris.

When God prunes it’s not pretty. My rose bushes are not pretty now. But as with my bushes my life will be beautiful because of the pruning. Pruning is not pleasant. I was stuck and scratched many times with thorns. But Jesus endured the thorny unpleasant part for me to be beautiful like the roses will be in the spring. Pruning gets rid of a lot of waste. And a big thank you to my trash guys for hauling it away. I need to get rid of the waste accumulating in my life too. My trash guys can’t deal with that but my Lord Jesus can.

My yard looks like it’s ready for spring to bear many beautiful roses. I won that war with the roses.

King David said in Psalm 51:10, after his big sin boo boo  “Create (cut away, produce, clear out, prune) in me a clean (pure) heart (tender undivided understanding conscience) and renew (repair, restore) a steadfast (determined, confirmed, established) spirit (Holy Spirit control) in me.”

Now I need to win the war of my sin will.

It won’t be pleasant, pretty, or comfortable.

But if I let God do the pruning the results will be beautiful.