The Proper Perspective
Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ . . .
—2 Corinthians 2:14
The proper perspective to maintain is that we are here for only one purpose— to be captives marching in the procession of Christ’s triumphs. We are not on display in God’s showcase— we are here to exhibit only one thing— the "captivity [of our lives] to the obedience of Christ" ( 2 Corinthians 10:5 ). How small all the other perspectives are! For example, the ones that say, "I am standing all alone, battling for Jesus," or, "I have to maintain the cause of Christ and hold down this fort for Him." But Paul said, in essence, "I am in the procession of a conqueror, and it doesn’t matter what the difficulties are, for I am always led in triumph." Is this idea being worked out practically in us?... It is a shameful thing for a Christian to talk about getting the victory. We should belong so completely to the Victor that it is always His victory, and "we are more than conquerors through Him . . ." ( Romans 8:37 ).
"We are to God the fragrance of Christ . . ." ( 2 Corinthians 2:15 ). We are encompassed with the sweet aroma of Jesus, and wherever we go we are a wonderful refreshment to God.
Here's what I wrote...
Stinky or Sweet? How do I smell?
Fragrance...
As I was taking the garbage out the other night, a caustic smell hit
me like a ton of bricks. I couldn't wait to get away from the piercing
odor, and back inside where I had a sweet-smelling candle giving off the
delectable, home cooked aroma of Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.
I started wondering what fragrance does my life exude? Am I giving off
a pleasant aroma of joy, peace and faithfulness? Or does my humanity,
all of my flaws, and how I handle life's challenges give off the pungent
odor of rotting garbage?
I have found that as of late, it's probably the latter, though that is
definitely not my desire. Going through a plethora of life and ministry
changes in the past eighteen months has left me bitter and running on
"empty" in my faith. I've been reading some blogs and wondering "How can
this person be so positive?" and realizing I used to be that way too.
So how does one acquire a restoration of the sweet fragrance that would
make one desirable to those around them? The answer may be different
for you than it is for me. But in my search, I came across 2 Corinthians
2:15-17 (NASB) which says, "For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among
those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one
an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life
And who is adequate for these things? For we are not like many, peddling
the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in
Christ in the sight of God."
I don't claim to be a Bible scholar, but what I took from this is the
realization of my need to drop the bitterness and hurt, and to quit
complaining and start being thankful for what I do have. Finding the
positive in bad situations used to be the norm for me. I can either
continue in my stench and live my life full of negativity, or change
my outlook and become a refreshing breath of air to those around me.
Are those around me "being saved" or "perishing" because of me? Is my
aroma causing death, or will my fragrance help give life to someone?
I know from my experience of working with children, they are very honest
in their assessments of things they observe. If you have bad breath or
body odor, you'll hear about it. Most of the time (luckily), I've gotten
the "Wow! You smell good!" especially when wearing my favorite vanilla
body spray. I want the childlike observation to say that about my actions and
attitudes too. Don't you? (And what a great analogy to use on my daughter...
Do your actions smell good or bad to God? That may be a good way to get
her to think about being sweet when she's not!)
So, jump in the shower and clean that stench away! Don't let the defeat
of let-downs cause you to be stinky. Wash yourself in the grace and
forgiveness of Christ's blood, and let His sweet aroma encompass you so
that you may be life to someone who otherwise may be dying on the inside.
It's time for me to take that shower and wash away the stink!
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Now, to just get myself to do that....that's the challenge! Sometimes things are much easier said than done, aren't they? It is funny how God works sometimes though, to reinforce what He's trying to tell us, because we're too dense to get it the first time. (Just like Jerry with a devo he read this weekend about the shield of faith, and then that being a major part of the sermon at the church we attended Sunday---saying that faith is the first thing you lose when you're in heavy battles, your shield gets dropped.)
