THORNS

Thorns!  Have you ever gotten stuck by a thorn?  If you haven’t it hurts.  I went outside this morning to close all the gates to the backyard, trying to keep my dogs contained to one place.  I have a beautiful rose bush that is by one of those gates.  I had trimmed them earlier and had not gotten all the broken limbs.  What happened?  A thorny limb grabbed me, ouch!  I finally got it untangled from my pants leg.

There will always be thorns in our lives.  It may be an actual thorn or it may be a situation or a friend.  Many times it takes time to get rid of the thorns, however in time we can understand the importance of those thorny limbs.

When Jesus was nailed to the cross the Romans had placed a crown of thorns on his head.  This crown was designed to be painful.  But look at the blessing that came from the thorns.  Christ died with a crown made of thorns but arose with a halo. 

Paul had a thorn in his flesh.  Satan sent this to torment him.  But we must remember what Satan intends to use for bad, God uses for good.  Paul wanted God to remove the thorn, however God made him wait.  The thorn taught Paul important lessons.  The thorn taught Paul that Gods grace is sufficient for all our needs and Gods strength is made perfect in our weakness.

Thorns can be painful and heartbreaking, but they are used for very important purposes.  Have God remove the thorns from your life.   Go to Him and within His time the Lord will help you turn your thorns into soft pliable situations that bring you closer to Him and stronger in faith.