An unkempt man with long
grey hair riding a bicycle passed me on the bike path and for several feet his aged
sweaty body odor hung in the air. The stench lingered so long that I began to
wonder if the aroma of faith lingers with others after I pass by them. Paul
tells us there is a fragrance associated with the knowledge of Christ. “For
we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who
are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the
other, the fragrance of life” (2 Cor 2:15-16a NIV).
1 comment:
Gail;
-----Thirty nine times the Pentateuch uses “pleasing odor” in reference to the Israelites’ burnt offerings to the Lord. Three times Ezekiel uses the word in reference to the burnt offerings Judah made to idols. The last time Ezekiel uses the word he says, “As a pleasing odor I will accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples, and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations.” (Ez 20:14) In light of the pleasing odor of the Israelites’ burnt offerings, the pleasing odor we are to the Lord, and the pleasing odor Israel is becoming as God gathers them into this coming time of trouble, I think it is interesting that when the Lamb opens the sixth seal of the scroll John sees “…under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne.” (Rev 6:9)
-----Every time we lay ourselves down to lift up another, every time we spend what is rightfully ours on the needs of another, every time we return righteousness for injury, peace for insult, forgiving when we are taken advantage of, lied to, or robbed, we not only die a little bit to ourselves, but we are in that little bit of death a burnt offering to the Lord, a pleasing odor, a witness slain for the Word of God, burnt ashes under the altar. Whenever we injure, take advantage of, lie to, or rob, we sacrifice someone else to ourselves, the worst idol one can worship.
-----I have a lot of attitudes to correct before the coming term of Hillary. But knowing what it is that right attitudes and reactions to evil are for the Lord encourages me to run all the harder.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
Post a Comment