Fragrant Offerings

II Cor. 2:12-17 NRSV

“When I came to Troas to proclaim the good news of Christ, a door was opened for me in the Lord; but my mind could not rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said farewell to them and went on to Macedonia.  But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not peddlers of God’s word like so many; but in Christ we speak as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God and standing in his presence.”

We are fragrant offerings that spread the love of God wherever we go. You know how we are around things and begin to smell like what we around? Even a baby knows it’s mother’s scent. 

We want to check ourselves to see what scent do we emit- does it repel others from seeing God or does it bring them into his presence? 

And how long does our scent last? Just as colognes don’t last always we must replenish by communing with God. 

And how strong is our scent? Avon’s Skin So Soft sweetly repels mosquitoes. Our scent should be strong to repel anything that comes at us - that is not of God. 

Listen one year my Christmas tree had served its purpose and was lying outside for my bulk pick up day. That was the year that we experienced a blizzard. It was the most snow I have ever seen, and it so completely covered my Christmas tree that I thought that it had already been picked up. 

But about three weeks into January, the snow began to melt, and I saw a few sprigs of my Christmas tree peeking out from the snow. 

As I tugged at it, the fragrance of that evergreen tree filled the space around me, letting me know that it was still an evergreen tree. I got a shovel to dig it out so that the garbage people could see the tree. As I dug around the tree the smell became stronger and stronger. 

“ Holy Spirit showed me, “That we, as children of God, are to be just like that evergreen.” 

When we feel that our usefulness is gone, or we have not been appreciated, or when we have gotten caught under tons of trouble, heartache, and pain, hold on. And when we are pulled out by God’s mighty shovel of love, we will still have that aroma that says we are fragrant offerings, acceptable to God. enough for now.

Stay on Task

Neh. 6:1-9

“Now when it was reported to Sanballat and Tobiah and to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had built the wall and that there was no gap left in it (though up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to come down to you?” They sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner. In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. In it was written, “It is reported among the nations—and Geshem also says it—that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall; and according to this report you wish to become their king. You have also set up prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning you, ‘There is a king in Judah!’ And now it will be reported to the king according to these words. So come, therefore, and let us confer together.” Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done; you are inventing them out of your own mind” —for they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands.” 

This has been a rough week with the elections but we continue on. We take note from Nehemiah and how they tried to distract him from the rebuilding of the Jerusalem wall. Go back and read starting at chapter one. 

There will be distractions to hinder the work of God, still we continue. And there are times that we work with our  weapons strapped on as the Israelites. Our weapons are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down is strongholds. 

Come on you all. Let nothing distract you, not your allies, your enemies, yourself. There is more - what to we do? We stay on task taking a note from Nehemiah, “Oh God Strengthen our hands.” Stay on task. enough for now.

It’s Sowing Time

Mark 4:2-9 NRSV

“Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” And he said, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” 

Jesus spoke great truths in parables. Here the message of the gospel is sown - or not. Some places it cannot be determined if the ground has good soil. It may look bad, it may be taken away by the lies of the enemy, but still we sow. In the agricultural theme the disciples would have understood. Because of the thorns and thistles some seed would take root. The average return on the crop was no more than seven or eight times the seed they sowed.

Since we don’t know if the seeds will take root, we still share the gospel. We were seeds that took root in good soil and now we must sow. The soil may not look like what we think but we still share the good news. We share our story of what God  has done for us. 

We have a story. Blessings of peace on your day. enough for now.