In God’s providence, I saw some thorny and fruitful cacti this week, a reminder of the curse of sin and the forgiveness for sin by the blood of Christ. Before I share more about the cacti, it may be helpful to remember that the greatest problem for man is sin (rebellion against God), originating from Adam eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). The good news is that Christ paid the price for sins for those who believe in Him by His sacrificial death on the cross (Luke 23,24).
“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” 1 Corinthians 15:22
If we repent of our sins, believe that Jesus is God’s Son and trust that He died for our sins, our sins are forgiven, and we are saved. Though we die, we shall live.
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” John 11:25
We are saved by faith in Jesus and are being saved as we die to ourselves and live in Christ by the “washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” Pride and worldliness are progressively replaced by humility and service to God.
“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” Romans 8:13-14
I am meditating on these verses as I consider the Cane Cholla cacti this first week of Spring. The thorns are a result of the curse (Genesis 3:18). The crown of thorns on Christ’s head when He proceeded to the cross was a picture of the reality, that Jesus was carrying the burden of the sins of the world.
“He is the propitiation [atoning sacrifice, satisfying God’s holy wrath] for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2
The long-lasting yellow fruit of the cacti remind me that all is not thorns and death. Hope emerges from the thorns in the form of the fruit. The Cane Cholla fruit is a survival food for wildlife and wilderness explorers. The fruit is a picture of Jesus who rose from the grave as our Savior, victorious over sin and death. He reigns with His church forever and will restore all of creation until the final perfection in the new heavens and earth.
Looking to the northeast of the patch of cacti, I saw a large Cottonwood tree and the Arkansas river flowing behind it.
The new earth will have the tree of life on either side of a river flowing through a city that is hard to comprehend. Let us know and worship God in Jesus now so we will be at home with Them in everlasting glory.
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.” Revelation 22:2
