By Robert Harmon
When I think of the word, “rose bud,’ two things come to mind. One is the image from the old classic film, “Citizen Kane,” where the main character uttered the word as he lay dying. Rosebud (one word in the film) was not just the name of the sled he remembered from his youth but, was what the sled represented – the wonderful memories and morals he had as a young man. The other thing which comes to mind from the word “rose bud,” is how an oilfield pumper who worked for our family business, said he needed this welding tip to heat some “grown-together” oilfield parts until they would separate.
My father and I searched for this welding tip and brought it to the pumper, who made short work of the job once he had the right tool. A rose bud torch, as I would find out, is so named because the flame resembles a rose bud and is used to heat a large area of metal. Interestingly, while a rose bud torch is used to fix something, the sled in Citizen Kane named “Rosebud” was discarded into the flames as “worthless junk.”
Images of fire and flames abound in the Bible. Much like how a rose bud tip can be used to separate metal from metal, God has the lake of fire which is used to separate and punish those who have chosen to live apart from God. Revelation 20:15 says, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” God considers none of us to be “worthless junk.” Luke 12:6,7 say, “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.” God lets us choose whether we desire following the devil into Hell, or Jesus into Heaven. John 3:16, probably the most well-known verse in the Bible says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
If you have never considered becoming a Christian, my question to you is “why not?” There is truly “no time like the present,” for we never know what lies ahead or if we will even live to see tomorrow. Once you die, the decision you made in life concerning whether you followed Jesus or the devil, will determine where you spend eternity.
Finally, it comes down to this. As we progress through life, we have many twists and turns, much like how we steer a car on different roads. The devil loves to have us take detours, much like a road trip which never gets us to the destination we desire. Jesus offers one road, which is the straight and narrow path to God and Heaven. Jesus offers to steer our car for us, if only we will let Him. As far as I am concerned, the only flames I want to see are in the rear view mirror of a Heavenward journey.
