A dreadful smell or a sweet perfume?
Dear Friends,
In my last blog I mentioned we had recently been on holiday with friends. We stayed in a self-catering cottage (a converted granary) on a farm. There were some lovely views and our neighbours included chicken, 2 horses, pigs and their piglets.
One morning we woke to a dreadful stench as soon as we opened our bedroom window, and whichever room we went into, whether it was upstairs or downstairs, we were greeted with that same dreadful smell. It was, in my opinion, disgusting and outside the smell was just as bad.
Now Jason, having been brought up on a farm, knew exactly the reason for the stink, (for me there's no other way to describe it!) the farmer had been muck-spreading, fertilising the ground, in good preparation for growing a good crop.
To me, the smell was horrible (I think I've made that clear by now!) but I'm guessing the farmer didn't see it that way, he knew the purpose behind it, the reason why he needed to spread the foul-smelling muck. It was necessary if he was to grow a good, healthy, strong crop.
This reminded me of what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 2:14b-16 "Now he [God] uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume." (NLT)
It's my responsibility and yours to spread "a Christ-like fragrance" by the way we live for God. How do I do this? By living wholeheartedly for him, living consistently the Christian life, living in a way that honours him, living by the principles of God's Word, sharing the good news of Christ, loving others etc.
It means living counter-culturally to the world and that kind of fragrance is not pleasant to some people. To some it may very well be a "dreadful smell" as we make a stand for what we believe, a stand for what God says and a stand for a different way of living.
Even if some don't like it, we're not to hide this fragrance, not to water it down, not to replace it with another smell by living with by worldly values rather than God's. We're told in God's word not to conform to worldly values, to the pattern or "smell" of this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)
By spreading a Christ-like fragrance wherever we are, we are making people aware of the truth about God, the good news, the hope that we have found in him. This smell around us should be unmistakeable and may even linger after we have left.
To Think About:
In what specific and intentional ways are you spreading a "Christ-like fragrance" wherever you go?
Are there any circumstances in which you are tempted to hide, replace or water down this fragrance, tempted to conform to the world's values?
Ask God to give you the courage to spread this fragrance, this sweet perfume, everywhere you go, in a way which is honouring to him.
Vicki
In my last blog I mentioned we had recently been on holiday with friends. We stayed in a self-catering cottage (a converted granary) on a farm. There were some lovely views and our neighbours included chicken, 2 horses, pigs and their piglets.
One morning we woke to a dreadful stench as soon as we opened our bedroom window, and whichever room we went into, whether it was upstairs or downstairs, we were greeted with that same dreadful smell. It was, in my opinion, disgusting and outside the smell was just as bad.
Now Jason, having been brought up on a farm, knew exactly the reason for the stink, (for me there's no other way to describe it!) the farmer had been muck-spreading, fertilising the ground, in good preparation for growing a good crop.
To me, the smell was horrible (I think I've made that clear by now!) but I'm guessing the farmer didn't see it that way, he knew the purpose behind it, the reason why he needed to spread the foul-smelling muck. It was necessary if he was to grow a good, healthy, strong crop.
This reminded me of what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 2:14b-16 "Now he [God] uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume." (NLT)
It's my responsibility and yours to spread "a Christ-like fragrance" by the way we live for God. How do I do this? By living wholeheartedly for him, living consistently the Christian life, living in a way that honours him, living by the principles of God's Word, sharing the good news of Christ, loving others etc.
It means living counter-culturally to the world and that kind of fragrance is not pleasant to some people. To some it may very well be a "dreadful smell" as we make a stand for what we believe, a stand for what God says and a stand for a different way of living.
Even if some don't like it, we're not to hide this fragrance, not to water it down, not to replace it with another smell by living with by worldly values rather than God's. We're told in God's word not to conform to worldly values, to the pattern or "smell" of this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)
By spreading a Christ-like fragrance wherever we are, we are making people aware of the truth about God, the good news, the hope that we have found in him. This smell around us should be unmistakeable and may even linger after we have left.
To Think About:
In what specific and intentional ways are you spreading a "Christ-like fragrance" wherever you go?
Are there any circumstances in which you are tempted to hide, replace or water down this fragrance, tempted to conform to the world's values?
Ask God to give you the courage to spread this fragrance, this sweet perfume, everywhere you go, in a way which is honouring to him.
Vicki
.jpg)
Comments
Post a Comment