How Do You Smell?

     Like it or not, a Christian is designed by his / her Creator to be recognizably different in every aspect of life.  Jesus said that his disciples would be noticed by how they acted toward one another (John 13:35). 

     Paul was guided to say this in a different way.  In 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 he writes, “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.  And who is equal to such a task?”

     What does this mean?  That everyone around you will judge God, Christ and the church by what they see and hear and watch you do. 

     To some, the Christianity you portray will be an odious stench that they will only want to be rid of.  Regardless of how well you live a holy lifestyle.  Righteous living is so foreign to their way of thinking and acting that they will do everything possible to discredit, shame and persecute you.  They will just be waiting for you to be human and mess up so that they can prove you and all other Christians wrong.  These are the ones you will have to be careful not to spend too much time with. 

    There are others, however, that will appreciate a life that makes sense and follows godly principles.  They will enjoy your influence (aroma) and want to learn more about it.  Unfortunately, they will seldom say so.  These are the ones we need to be seeking.  These are the ones we need to spend most of our time with. 

     The hard part in all of this is that you can’t do anything about what others think of your aroma.  You can only try to live for Christ to the best of your ability.  Just be careful to give off the correct fragrance.  One that puts Jesus and His kingdom in a true light.  It’s up to others to determine how it smells.  Latch on to the ones that enjoy God’s presence.

     So, how do you think you have smelled lately?

Doug

Sufficiently Blessed

     “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”                      2 Peter 1:3

     How many of us would admit that we have everything we need in life?  Everyone, it seems, would be happier with a bit more money, a nicer car, a roomier house, and the list goes on.  Most people, if they’re honest, are unable to rest assured that their position in life is sufficient.

     Scripture talks about this problem quite a lot.  We have many stories of the consequences people faced because they just couldn’t feel satisfied with what God had given to them.  They always wanted more.  Adam and Eve gave up Paradise because they thought they needed more. 

     Israel constantly made the mistake of putting their security and trust in earthly things (chariots, alliances with other nations, lying prophets, etc.).  Yet, all they needed was God.  When they trusted in Him, He took care of everything.  He fought for them, gave them the instructions they needed and even provided the leaders.  But eventually they got distracted and once again sought security in other people or human philosophies. 

     What about today?  Do you have everything you need to live the Christian life?  God says you do.  In fact you have more than enough information.  2 Peter 1:3 says that you have everything you need.  Are you using it?  Or are you waiting until you receive more? 

     Fortunately, God does provide us with much more than we really need.  But not because we deserve it.  He blesses us with a lot more because He loves us and desires that we enjoy our relationship with Him. 

     So be thankful for the wonderful blessings God has given you; especially for His written word.  Use it.  Share it.  Don’t be clamoring for more.  Let those around you see and know that you are thankful for everything that God has done. 

Doug

Stewards of Life

Our English word “stewardship” translates two Greek words put together to tell a story: “oikos” meaning “house” and “nomos” meaning “to manage”.  We borrow this word “oikonomos” for our study on “economics”.  It is defined as “the study of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services” or, “the financial element of something.” 

While we Americans usually restrict our study of stewardship and economics to discussions on how we handle money, God expects us to be good stewards (economists) with every aspect of our lives – our time, our energy, our service activities, our spiritual growth, our relationships, our job requirements, as well as our finances.

We are given charge of everything God has made (Genesis 1:26, 28) and we are to be good stewards of all of it.  How well we do in this will depend largely on how much we respect and love the Master and His things.  If we care more for ourselves and our selfish ambitions, then we will not take good care of God’s things nor will we give much time and energy to matters that mean the most to Him.  However, if we love the Master and are loyal to His cause, we will spend our lives building our relationship with Him and His children and the “tools” He provides to get along in this life will be handled with care and respect.

Jesus’ parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) expresses this truth.  The first two servants respected their Master and cared for what he had entrusted to them.  By faith, they had the courage to use the Master’s things to benefit others, the Master, and themselves.  But the third servant obviously had little or no regard for the Master or his things.  Because of his fear, no one received any benefit from what the Master so generously provided.  Not only did that make the Master and his other servants look bad, it cost the unfaithful servant everything he had.

So, learn from this story that God has given all of us something to do to participate in the work of the kingdom.  Use God’s gifts to benefit everyone (you, others, God).  Don’t be afraid to try new things.  Trust God to help you succeed.  And remember most of all to give God your heart.  Because if God has your heart, He will also have your time, your energy, your faith, your good deeds, your finances, your family and other relationships – everything that makes life meaningful.  And He will bless you with all kinds of opportunities to grow even more spiritual blessings in return.

Doug

Store Up For Yourselves

            One of the lessons that my mother drilled into me while I was growing up was the importance of sharing with others.  Many of the television shows that were designed for children also taught the same thing, so I naturally came to realize that it was always the right thing to do. 

            So you might understand why I grew up having a problem with Jesus’ parable about the Ten Virgins (Maidens).  This story has a group of young ladies who were unwilling to share with others.  And Jesus seemed to be sanctioning their behavior.  After all, they were the ones allowed inside while those they refused to share with were left out in the cold.

            As I continued to read and listen to lessons about this parable, the more it dawned on me why Jesus spoke as He did.  Jesus was encouraging His followers to be ready for His return.  When we remember this, the other details fall into place and make a lot more sense.

            All of us must work hard every day to stay on track with Jesus, and there are some things needed to accomplish this task that are just impossible to share with others.  For example: your faith.  Faith is the building block (the foundation) of your relationship with God.  You can tell others about your faith, but you cannot give them the faith they need to follow Jesus.  Faith is something each of us must acquire in our own lives as we encourage each other to do the same.

            Another example is peace of mind.  Our conversion to Christ provides us with the tools required to attain contentment in life, but it is something we must build on our own.  No one can give this quality to someone else.  And so it goes with all of the virtues listed as the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23): these are blessings that we must build into our lives, but are impossible to give to or receive from others.

            And all of these needed, yet un-sharable characteristics are what Jesus was alluding to by using the symbol of the “oil” for the girl’s lamps.  When we face God / Jesus on the last day, our lamps (Christian example / lifestyle) must be burning brightly with the oil that God has helped us accumulate in this life. 

            With this in mind, then, are you ready for His return?  Is your lamp burning brightly or is it ready to burn out?  If you’re depending on others to bail you out, you will be disappointed, just as the foolish girls were.  Work every day from now on and spend as much time with God’s people as possible in order to receive the encouragement needed to be ready and to stay ready.

Doug

A Perfect Reflection

     Mirrors are interesting things.  They are totally honest.  They show you what you truly look like.  Whether or not that is a bad thing is up to your interpretation of what you see.  But the result is not up to the mirror.  Its job is to reflect back the object that is directly in front of it.

     Maybe this is what God was trying to express to us in the words of Paul:

     “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”                                           

(2 Corinthians 3:18)

     In a sense, then, we are to be spiritual mirrors.  We are to reflect the glory of God to those around us every day.  Therefore, it is important for us to portray an honest picture of Him.  It is mandatory that we show others what He is truly like.  And remember that it isn’t our job to force an impression of Him on others.  We will tell others about Him and why we follow Him.  But it will be up to them to form their own faith in Him.  And they are very likely to base that upon our reflection.

     Thankfully, we don’t have to come up with the power or energy to bring this about all by ourselves. The strength to succeed at this spiritual reflecting is provided through the action of God’s Spirit that dwells inside every Christian. This is God’s doing – on our behalf. The truth of this should impress on every mind what an important task each of us commits to when we (1) put Christ on in baptism to have our sins remitted and (2) receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us in the process of being less like the world and more like Christ. The longer we strive with God to follow the lead of His Spirit, the more confidence we have. And with the increase of confidence in Christ comes the natural result of reflecting His true character to those around us.

     So, what kind of Jesus do other people see being reflected in you; one that gives Him leftovers or one who gives Him everything?  Does it show a committed soldier or a timid critic?  Does your gospel have the power to save or is it based on arguments that divide?  Do others see you being transformed into His likeness or trying to live in two different worlds?  Are you showing His glory or trying to gain glory for yourself?

     Your reflection of Jesus will be obvious to everyone.  You cannot hide how you really believe.  Make the changes you need to soon in order to help your friends and family see the real Jesus - the one living in you.

Doug

The Number One Evil

     All of Paul’s letters to churches and individuals were designed to combat certain problems that first century Christians were facing.  Though each case had a different set of circumstances surrounding it, all of the issues had the possibility of creating what can be considered the number one evil for the church.  Division - Satan’s favorite weapon against God.  It is the devil’s best strategy because if he can divide us, he can (and does) defeat us.

     The church was designed to provide us with much needed fellowship.  This is, in fact, the earmark of the church.  Division destroys the fundamental purpose of the church.

     When Christians are divided and no longer in fellowship, our worship suffers because we cannot focus on the Father.  Our faith suffers because we are too busy defending our cause and trying to defeat one another.  Our influence in the community falters because we are unable to show others the mark of Christianity (love for one another - John 13:35).

     So how can we avoid division?  Well, it really depends on each one of us being committed to the following: 

     1.  You must decide to do whatever possible to keep division from happening.

     2.  You must remain focused on Christ.

     3.  You must study the Scriptures and use them for all matters of doctrine.

     4.  You must be willing to allow others freedom of opinion on issues not clearly taught in the Bible.

     5.  You must accept that not everyone is on the same level of understanding and faith that you are.

     6.  You must take every opportunity to improve your relationship with each person.

     If you wait for others to do these things, division is sure to happen.  If you expect others to do these things, division has already happened.  The best way to avoid the number one evil, is to do whatever you can to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3).

Doug

Rely On God

            “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia.  We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.  Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death.  But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.  He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us.  On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us.” 2 Corinthians 1:8-10

            Paul doesn’t tell us what the peril was that he and his comrades thought would bring about their deaths.  One thing we do know, though, he considered it so life-threatening that he felt as if God had raised him from the dead.  To be alive and tell of this incident was proof that God had carried them through an impossible ordeal.

            Indeed, there were many incidents like this in the life of the apostle Paul.  So many, in fact, that just reading about them impresses me with the amount of faith this man possessed.  No human could endure the hardships that Paul was put through and keep going unless someone with divine power were alongside of him directing his path. 

            And this is exactly what Jesus promised just before He ascended into heaven.  The closing words of Matthew’s gospel are to bolster our faith in God’s desire and ability to secure our lives.  “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  There it is!  The ultimate fulfillment of the name Immanuel (God With Us).  The Holy Spirit whom Jesus sends to all who are cleansed by His blood, is God with us (right inside of us) to guide us through life and back to God, the Father. Paul trusted in this divine decree and lived his life in full assurance that God would definitely rescue him in the end (2 Timothy 1:12).

            We all have this same promise from Jesus today.  Those of us who have put on Christ (Galatians 3:27) and continue to walk in His light (1 John 1:7) can receive comfort to know that He has guaranteed us safe passage into eternal life.  No matter what happens in this life, no matter how perilous or life-threatening, God’s children have a new home awaiting them.  What it will take to believe this and act accordingly, though, is our commitment to allow God to lead direct our paths.  Then we will have the courage and foresight to rely on Him to help us get through anything.

Doug