Dear Friends in the Faith:
Okay let's get right down to the point here. In just a few days it will be Valentine's Day and it can be one of the most depressing days in the year. This is the time of year our nation celebrates people that we love. Even though the scriptures teach us that we should love people all year long this holiday pushes it to the limit. People buy all types of things all in the name of love. We buy things like diamonds, cards, dinners, trips, clothes, chocolates and most of all flowers. In fact, yahoo.com stated that roses were the most popular gift of all during this time of year! Over 1 trillion roses are sold during Valentine's Day weekend each year alone in the United States. And, it can be difficult for you if all of those roses go out as gifts in the name of love and you don't get one of them. But, remember this if no one gets you a rose, with Jesus Christ you already have the sweetest rose of all for He is your Rose of Sharon.
Sharon is located in North Palestine between Mount Tabor and Lake Tiberias. It is a low lying country that is known for its beautiful vegetation. In short, beautiful flowers would sprout all over this region and paint for its visitors the handy work of God. To visit Sharon at the right time of year was like being in a part of heaven! Many have described it as heaven on earth. As the writer shares passionate thoughts of love and tenderness in Song of Solomon the writer is careful to mention that he is "...the Rose of Sharon..." (Song of Solomon 2:1, KJV). But what does it really mean for Jesus Christ to be your Rose of Sharon?
It means that He is easily accessible. You see, the flower that is described in this passage did not grow in a green house or some gated area. It grew in the field. It was a symbol that it had been placed by God and available to any one that wanted it. Hear this, Jesus is your Rose. That means that He is saying "I am here for you! I love you! I think of you all of the time! I want to hold your hand! I want to wipe your tears! I want to carry you and your load! I want to be near you!" Get this, the Rose of Sharon is here for you. The question right now is this, do you want Him? If you want Him He is here for you right now. This flower grew in a place that simply said to any one, I am accessible to you if you want me. (Read Matthew 11:28).
It means that He is the bench mark of a new season in your life. The "Rose" that is mentioned in the passage is not a rose in the American sense of a flower. It was a crocus. This was a dark red flower that only blossomed after the winter was over. In fact, people in that region knew when the winter was passed because the crocus would bloom. You see, it marked the beginning of a new season. This is shouting news for those that really love the Lord! If Jesus is your Rose of Sharon His entry into your life marked the beginning of a season. The winter is over. He is your spring time. If you are like most, you have had a lot of things that have happened to you in this life. Some of us have been wounded trying to love people that never learned to love us back. Others have been let down by people that we just knew we could depend on. And, still there are others that have gone through more difficulty than the google search engine could keep up or Wikipedia could define. Yet, after all that you have been through if you have Jesus in your life you can truthfully say that Jesus is the best thing that has ever happen to me! His entrance marked the beginning of something new, something spiritual, something meaningful and something that leads to blessing at every point in your life! (Read Galatians 6:9).
It means that He is the source of your joy. The bright beauty of the crocus was used as a symbol of joy. They were often used in celebrations and festivals due to their bright red color. They could simply light up an entire mountain side. Thus, because of their illuminating properties they were the flower that symbolized joy. But, here's what so rich about this plant. The more it rained the richer the color became. Are you shouting yet? If Jesus is your Rose of Sharon He is the source of your joy! Your joy does not come from what flower you received, it does not come from a diamond that someone bought you, your joy does not come from any special day that happened or did not happen. Your joy comes from the presence of the Lord that is your Rose. And, the more it rains in your life the brighter your Rose gets. You can't shout about this unless you have seen some rainy days in your life! We all see storms from time to time, but when you have the joy that your Rose brings, you learn how to dance in the rain. Yes, you may have to cry sometime. In fact, you will have to cry sometime but with Jesus you have a Rose that gives you joy and it gets brighter with every rain drop! (Read Psalms 126:5).
It means that He is your greatest love and sacrifice. The second most popular gift for Valentine's Day is perfume. But, if you don't get a bottle of it, don't trip. You have the sweetest fragrance that money will never buy. You see, the crocus was indeed a gorgeous red flower and it was beautiful to the eye. But it also had a wonderful fragrance that came from it. In fact, its aroma was known throughout the region. However, the only way to gain the fragrance from the crocus was to crush it. Yes, it would smell wonderful after it had been crushed. Can you see where this is headed yet? You see, if Jesus is your Rose of Sharon He made His love evident for you by being crushed for your love! When was He crushed you ask? At cavalry, where He gave it all so that you could be blessed with the sweet aroma of His love for ever! (Read Rom. 5:8).
So Saint Valentine might have started all of this foolishness with a day for those that you love called Valentine's Day. And Rudolph Valentino may have symbolized it with his sex appeal. But, our God put the lid on it with His love forever. You see, real love is much more than lip service, a box of candy, a flower, some perfume or a balloon. You can tell me how much you love me all day long. But, if what you say does not match what you do, that is not love it is hypocrisy at its finest. But, Jesus is your Rose of Sharon and He put it all on the line. If you don't get a card on the 14th you already have a Rose that is there for you! If you do not get a love letter on the 14th you already have a Rose that is your joy! If you don't have a hand to hold on the 14th don't complain. Your Rose is accessible to you! If you don't get a vase of flowers don't shed one tear. The one Rose that you have has marked a new season for you and because of Him your life will never ever be the same! And, if you don't get a bottle of your favorite fragrance on the 14th so what, you already have the sweetest perfume that money will never buy you. Shout this phrase in victory if you have Jesus in your heart "He is my Rose of Sharon!"
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
Okay let's get right down to the point here. In just a few days it will be Valentine's Day and it can be one of the most depressing days in the year. This is the time of year our nation celebrates people that we love. Even though the scriptures teach us that we should love people all year long this holiday pushes it to the limit. People buy all types of things all in the name of love. We buy things like diamonds, cards, dinners, trips, clothes, chocolates and most of all flowers. In fact, yahoo.com stated that roses were the most popular gift of all during this time of year! Over 1 trillion roses are sold during Valentine's Day weekend each year alone in the United States. And, it can be difficult for you if all of those roses go out as gifts in the name of love and you don't get one of them. But, remember this if no one gets you a rose, with Jesus Christ you already have the sweetest rose of all for He is your Rose of Sharon.
Sharon is located in North Palestine between Mount Tabor and Lake Tiberias. It is a low lying country that is known for its beautiful vegetation. In short, beautiful flowers would sprout all over this region and paint for its visitors the handy work of God. To visit Sharon at the right time of year was like being in a part of heaven! Many have described it as heaven on earth. As the writer shares passionate thoughts of love and tenderness in Song of Solomon the writer is careful to mention that he is "...the Rose of Sharon..." (Song of Solomon 2:1, KJV). But what does it really mean for Jesus Christ to be your Rose of Sharon?
It means that He is easily accessible. You see, the flower that is described in this passage did not grow in a green house or some gated area. It grew in the field. It was a symbol that it had been placed by God and available to any one that wanted it. Hear this, Jesus is your Rose. That means that He is saying "I am here for you! I love you! I think of you all of the time! I want to hold your hand! I want to wipe your tears! I want to carry you and your load! I want to be near you!" Get this, the Rose of Sharon is here for you. The question right now is this, do you want Him? If you want Him He is here for you right now. This flower grew in a place that simply said to any one, I am accessible to you if you want me. (Read Matthew 11:28).
It means that He is the bench mark of a new season in your life. The "Rose" that is mentioned in the passage is not a rose in the American sense of a flower. It was a crocus. This was a dark red flower that only blossomed after the winter was over. In fact, people in that region knew when the winter was passed because the crocus would bloom. You see, it marked the beginning of a new season. This is shouting news for those that really love the Lord! If Jesus is your Rose of Sharon His entry into your life marked the beginning of a season. The winter is over. He is your spring time. If you are like most, you have had a lot of things that have happened to you in this life. Some of us have been wounded trying to love people that never learned to love us back. Others have been let down by people that we just knew we could depend on. And, still there are others that have gone through more difficulty than the google search engine could keep up or Wikipedia could define. Yet, after all that you have been through if you have Jesus in your life you can truthfully say that Jesus is the best thing that has ever happen to me! His entrance marked the beginning of something new, something spiritual, something meaningful and something that leads to blessing at every point in your life! (Read Galatians 6:9).
It means that He is the source of your joy. The bright beauty of the crocus was used as a symbol of joy. They were often used in celebrations and festivals due to their bright red color. They could simply light up an entire mountain side. Thus, because of their illuminating properties they were the flower that symbolized joy. But, here's what so rich about this plant. The more it rained the richer the color became. Are you shouting yet? If Jesus is your Rose of Sharon He is the source of your joy! Your joy does not come from what flower you received, it does not come from a diamond that someone bought you, your joy does not come from any special day that happened or did not happen. Your joy comes from the presence of the Lord that is your Rose. And, the more it rains in your life the brighter your Rose gets. You can't shout about this unless you have seen some rainy days in your life! We all see storms from time to time, but when you have the joy that your Rose brings, you learn how to dance in the rain. Yes, you may have to cry sometime. In fact, you will have to cry sometime but with Jesus you have a Rose that gives you joy and it gets brighter with every rain drop! (Read Psalms 126:5).
It means that He is your greatest love and sacrifice. The second most popular gift for Valentine's Day is perfume. But, if you don't get a bottle of it, don't trip. You have the sweetest fragrance that money will never buy. You see, the crocus was indeed a gorgeous red flower and it was beautiful to the eye. But it also had a wonderful fragrance that came from it. In fact, its aroma was known throughout the region. However, the only way to gain the fragrance from the crocus was to crush it. Yes, it would smell wonderful after it had been crushed. Can you see where this is headed yet? You see, if Jesus is your Rose of Sharon He made His love evident for you by being crushed for your love! When was He crushed you ask? At cavalry, where He gave it all so that you could be blessed with the sweet aroma of His love for ever! (Read Rom. 5:8).
So Saint Valentine might have started all of this foolishness with a day for those that you love called Valentine's Day. And Rudolph Valentino may have symbolized it with his sex appeal. But, our God put the lid on it with His love forever. You see, real love is much more than lip service, a box of candy, a flower, some perfume or a balloon. You can tell me how much you love me all day long. But, if what you say does not match what you do, that is not love it is hypocrisy at its finest. But, Jesus is your Rose of Sharon and He put it all on the line. If you don't get a card on the 14th you already have a Rose that is there for you! If you do not get a love letter on the 14th you already have a Rose that is your joy! If you don't have a hand to hold on the 14th don't complain. Your Rose is accessible to you! If you don't get a vase of flowers don't shed one tear. The one Rose that you have has marked a new season for you and because of Him your life will never ever be the same! And, if you don't get a bottle of your favorite fragrance on the 14th so what, you already have the sweetest perfume that money will never buy you. Shout this phrase in victory if you have Jesus in your heart "He is my Rose of Sharon!"
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
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