Lessons I Learned From My Rose Bushes

[2bLikeJesus]

Several years ago when my house was under construction, I had to live in a rental place for a little over a year.  I was given a start from my sisters prize winning rose bush and decided to plant it in the rental homes flower garden thinking I will uproot it and move it to my new home the next year.  The next year I did exactly that, and when I replanted the rose bush, right next to it in the same bed with the same exact soil, conditions, and watering, I planted a new rose bush from seedling.  This was 5 years ago, and while I was out pruning my rosebushes for the winter I noticed that the newly planted rose bush was almost twice the size and health as the "prized" transplant rose bush.  

 

I got to thinking, how true this is for many Christians.  Like the rose bush that "stayed where it was planted" it was able to grow much better than the rose bush that had been "uprooted and moved from another place".  Many Christians are too soon to uproot themselves and transplant to another church rather than staying where they are planted and helping that church through any shortfalls or issues it may have.  Some Christians are church hoppers and never really grow to mature Christians because of it.  Unless the ground has been irretreavably poisoned by major fundamentals of the faith apostacy, I recommend staying where God has planted you. 

 

Bro. Garry

[Pastor Matt]

Thanks for sharing. Good Illustration.

[Rosie]

Amen

[John81]

Very good! Looking around it does seem that those who remain faithful to a particular church (speaking of a good church) have steady and better growth than those who hop from one church to another.

 

We had a local Methodist church go through several splits over a decade or so. Many from that church came to ours after one or more of those splits. Some eventually went back, others hopped around churches, but of those who stayed in our church I can say they have all grown in the Lord. The others who left have either stagnated or fallen away.