No Mistakes

"We praise a Ruler faithful still

We know You can; we pray You will

You're not a God who makes mistakes

My life is Yours, to give, to take.

If, for such a time as this,

I'm the one, do as You wish

Who knows but that I'm in this place

To prove Your Presence?

Give me grace."

Beth Moore

Man's Best Friend

The other day, our dog came into the kitchen from the backyard.  Now, I say "our dog" instead of "my dog" because I feel no personal connection to him.  While everyone else affectionately calls him "Buddy," it's not all that uncommon to hear me simply refer to him as "the dog."  Buddy is more often than not an outdoor dog, but he does come into the kitchen on a few occasions, such as stormy weather, extreme heat, or, as was the case the other day, freezing temperatures.  Being an outdoor dog, Buddy's presence brought with it a distinct and unique feature that I noticed almost as soon as he entered the kitchen.  That's right.  The smell.  His own personal aroma.  That wet-dog-who-rolls-in-dirt smell that seems to be a part of him - it never completely goes away.  While my brother informed me that he didn't smell anything, I found myself wanting to go to a different part of the house.

The word "aroma" is found forty-five times in the Bible (generally in regard to sacrifices).  Forty of those times are in Genesis through Numbers.  The last time the word "aroma" is used in the Old Testament is in Ezekiel 20:41a, where God speaks of bringing His people back after their exile.  '"As a pleasing aroma I will accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered.'"  The next time we see the word "aroma" is also the last time it is used in the Bible, and the only time in the New Testament.  Paul writes, "But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.  For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life..." (2 Corinthians 2:14-16, emphasis added).  In Paul's day, triumphal processions were sometimes led by victorious kings, parading their booty and captives before the citizens of the land.  During these processions, sacrifices would be offered, giving an "aroma" of incense.  For some captives, this was an aroma of life, because their lives would be spared.  For other captives, the aroma was the smell of death - they knew they would be killed as enemies.  The entire procession was to make known the victory of the king, and the aroma of incense reminded everyone of that purpose.

Imagine being a citizen in Paul's day and watching one of the triumphal processions.  Imagine smelling the aroma of incense used for sacrifices.  Picture the victorious king.  This procession is exactly what we - as Christians - are showing the rest of the world.  Christ has bought us with a price and we are in His triumphant procession.  For Christians, the aroma is also an aroma of life, since our lives have been spared by Christ's sacrifice.  For others who have rejected the truth, they will receive punishment; for them, the aroma is an aroma of death.  Paul writes that we are the aroma of Christ to God.  Our lives testify to His greatness.  We are vessels of His victory!

Every time Buddy wanders into our kitchen I notice he's there.  His aroma precedes him (if you know what I mean...).  Every time you walk into a room, what do others first notice about you?  Do they see - or should I say, smell - a vessel of His victory?  People will notice when we truly display His greatness.  Do they notice it in you?

Let your light shine.


(see also the Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary for more on 1 Corinthians 2)

Sanctity of Life

Psalm 139:13-18

Making the Most of It

"Look carefully then how you walk!

Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless,

but as wise (sensible, intelligent people),

Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity],

because the days are evil.

Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish,

but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is."

-Ephesians 5:15-17, Amplified Version

So Much at Stake

We live our lives from day to day

We work, we eat, we sleep, we play.

Is this all there is to what we call life

To live comfortably here – free from strife?

What about those whose lives are led

Dreaming of good food and a nice warm bed?

What about they who have never heard

Of the one true God and His Son, the Word?

We have all we need and we know what is true

Yet the harvest is great and the workers are few.

Will we choose to spend our one short life

Living for Jesus or fleeing from strife?

The choice is mine – I make it everyday

To live for myself or on the godly way.

May we never forget that others still wait

For someone to tell them before it’s too late.

There’s so much at stake as we live out our days,

So many others must hear of God’s ways.

So pick up your shield and unsheathe your Sword,

There’s a battle to fight for the glory of the Lord.

The battle’s still raging – it will for awhile

Truth is rejected and falsely on trial.

So pick up your shield and unsheathe your Sword,

There’s a battle to fight in the Name of the Lord.

The Hot Pink Turtle

"Someone in the crowd said to [Jesus], 'Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.' But he said to him, 'Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?' And he said to them, 'Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.' And he told them a parable, saying, 'The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, "What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?" And he said, "I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry." But God said to him, "Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?" So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God'" (Luke 12:13-21, emphasis added).

The rich man placed all his faith in his possessions and hoped for more earthly riches; all he lived for was relaxation and comfort.  Isn't there more to life than this?  God calls us to more than chasing material prosperity, loving earthly comforts, and seeking popular admiration.  Jesus never offered a life of material wealth.  Instead, He commanded us, "'Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also'" (Matthew 6:19-21, emphasis added).  This life is only a shadow of what is to come for those who have believed and repented and are on their way to heaven.

From a heavenly perspective, the very idea of becoming consumed with earthly things is ludicrous.  We'll be in heaven for billions of millennia - and we're here less than one hundred years.  What an astronomical difference!  As we spend our eternity rejoicing and praising God, we'll look back at our time on earth and think of our temporal pleasures and enjoyments, "That was so trivial."  Why spend this life hungering after the world's treasures when we're going to eternal life full of everlasting joy, living in God's presence?

The other day as I was sorting through some of my earthly possessions, I came across a hair clip I used when I was younger.  Actually, I found several hair clips, but this one in particular stood out.  It was a hot pink turtle.  I'm not really sure why I wore a hot pink turtle hair clip, but I did.  And it was important to me then.  It's so easy to be tied up in earthly pleasures, fleeting joys, and little trinkets that aren't nearly as significant as they seem to be.  But not long from now, as we're living in eternity, we'll ask ourselves, "Did I really think that was important?"