Thorns and Thistles

The last few days I've been fencing, (working along fence lines repairing, etc.). One of my least favorite things that I run into is Hawthorn Apple Trees. They have strong sharp thorns about 1" - 2" long. They are also quite prolific and hard to kill which reminds me of the verse in Genesis 3 which says, "Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth unto thee..." That started way back with Adam. Talk about long term effects of sin. Though our sin will never trouble as many people as Adam's did, the amount of time can be very similar. Eternity, if you leave this life without your sin forgiven. You will be in for more misery than all the thorns and thistles of history. When Jesus died on the cross he wore the "crown of thorns" so we could be freed from the curse of sin. He suffered, bled, and died so the penalty of sin could be paid and we could be forgiven. He rose again after three days and now offers eternal life to all who will believe. If you have, you're forgiven. If you haven't, you really need to trust Jesus to forgive you. Don't end up in a place that's worse than a cluster of thorn apple bushes.