BBD 05.13.09 Do You Smell?
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>
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The Burning Bush Devotional
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05.13.09
Do You Smell?
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through
us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God
the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who
are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to
the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these
things? - 2 Corinthians 2:14-16.
Someone working in an office in San Jose, California found an unplugged
refrigerator that was full of nasty, moldy food, and decided to do something
about it. This woman took all the food out of the fridge and put it into a
conference room while she used some cleaning products to work on the
refrigerator. The woman who was cleaning has allergies and was unable to
smell the horrible odor that was created by the mess along with the cleaning
materials. The horrific odor rapidly spread through the AT&T building in
downtown San Jose. Someone called 911 and a hazmat team was sent in to
investigate - by that time 28 people needed treatment for nausea and
vomiting with seven needing hospitalization. What about the woman who was
cleaning the refrigerator? She was probably delighted that the company had
sent in a special team to help out with the cleaning, and because of her
inability to smell, the odor did not bother her at all!
Did you know that some Christians smell? To some people Christians are a
sweet smell and to others it appears from what the apostle Paul says that
Christians smell like death. The odor of your life is spread wherever you
go, by everything you do, by every interaction with others that you have.
Everything that you touch in one way or another, with your life spreads a
fragrance.
The fragrance of your life to some is a very sweet and wonderful smell
because through your life, they are pointed to salvation in Jesus Christ. To
others the fragrance of your life is the smell of death! Why is that? Some
people touched by your life reject Christ and reject you because with your
life you bring the judgment of God. Your life brings with it the fragrance
of judgment and the knowledge of their unbelief toward Christ. Rejection of
Christ as their Savior will ultimately cause eternal death, separation
eternally from God.
It appears, however, that some Christians have no smell. The lost cannot
smell them because they are not living their lives for the Lord. Surveys
show that there is little difference in the way that the lost live their
lives and the way that many Christians actually live their lives.
Can the lost smell you? Are you spreading the fragrance of Christ everywhere
you go and with everything that you do? Is the fragrance of Christ spreading
out from you touching life after life across this world? Live your life for
Christ and not for the world and your life will have an eternal impact upon
this world, just by the way, that it smells.
Copyright © 2009. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
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