Category: II Corinthians

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Sweet Smell

Have you ever walked through a rose garden when it’s in bloom or sat on a bench surrounded by gardenias? Here in Arizona our senses are being aroused by citrus blossoms and wildflowers.

In the early 2000’s my mom moved to Montana where Dave and I lived. Right outside the back door of her duplex was a tall lilac bush. Each time she opened the door she would be greeted with the aroma of lilac. She told me she remembered being a small girl and smelling lilacs at her home.

That smell, that sweet fragrance, reminded her of home!

The Bible tells us that our lives have a sweet fragrance to offer to the world.

“ We thank God for the power Christ has given us. He leads us and makes us win in everything. He speaks through us wherever we go. The Good News is like a sweet smell to those who hear it. 15 We are a sweet smell of Christ that reaches up to God. It reaches out to those who are being saved from the punishment of sin and to those who are still lost in sin. ” II Corinthians 2:14-15 NLV

Old Testament sacrifices were to have a sweet odor. The sense of smell played a role in their offerings.

“You may prepare sacrifices to give thanks in any of these three ways. Bring your sacrifice to a priest, and he will take it to the bronze altar. 9 Then, to show that the whole offering belongs to me, the priest will lay part of it on the altar and send it up in smoke with a smell that pleases me.” Leviticus 2:8-9 CEV

Offerings of thanksgiving to God were to be a mixture of fine flour, olive oil and incense. When they were burned by the priest, the offering had a sweet smell that was pleasing to the Lord.

Just as the priests presented the sacrifices to the Lord and it pleased Him, we should offer our lives as a pleasing sacrifice. We are to be like Christ and our lives should be like His, a sacrifice that pleases God. Paul tells us in Romans 12:1-2 that we are to present our bodies a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God.

So, the question comes, is my life one with a sweet fragrance? Do I spend more time thanking God for His goodness and His love than I do complaining about how things could/should/would be better “if only”? As a Christian – a Christ like one – my life should be an offering that pleases the Father.

“Do as God does. After all, you are his dear children. 2 Let love be your guide. Christ loved us and offered his life for us as a sacrifice that pleases God.” Ephesians 5:1-2 CEV

It’s not only the Father who notices that our lives are a sacrifice, but those around us will also notice.

As we enter this week before Easter, I desire for my life to “smell sweet” with praise and thanksgiving to the Father and also with forgiveness and love to those I meet.

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My Light

Have you ever awakened and been disoriented? I have. I have been in a deep sleep and my dream has been very vivid and for a few seconds I’ve not realize where I was. This normally happens when we’ve been staying in a hotel or the home of family and friends. That’s why we always travel with a night light in our overnight bag.

This morning when I woke and I saw the soft glow of the night light I said, “thank you Lord for being my light and my salvation”.

“Lord, you are my Light and my Savior, so why should I be afraid of anyone? The Lord is where my life is safe, so I will be afraid of no one!” Psalm 27:1 ERV

In the natural, a light in the darkness keeps us from stumbling or stubbing our toes. Been there – done that.

The same holds true in spiritual things.

“I gain understanding from your instructions, so I hate anything that leads people the wrong way. 105 Your word is like a lamp that guides my steps, a light that shows the path I should take.” Psalm 119:104-105 ERV

God uses His word to light our path and keep us from going the wrong way. When we have the light of God’s word guiding our lives Jesus said that we can be used to light the path for others.

“You are the light that shines for the world to see. You are like a city built on a hill that cannot be hidden. 15 People don’t hide a lamp under a bowl. They put it on a lampstand. Then the light shines for everyone in the house.” Matthew 5:14-15 ERV

The Apostle Paul said this:

“For the Lord gave us this command when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles,
 to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’ 48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message…” Acts 13:47-48

“But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. 9 For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us.” I Thessalonians 5:8-9 NLV

Our lives, in Christ, should illuminate the world around us. We should be beacons of hope, peace, love and forgiveness. The light we possess is not of ourselves, it’s His light within us.

“It was God Who said, ‘The light will shine in darkness.’ He is the One Who made His light shine in our hearts. This brings us the light of knowing God’s shining-greatness which is seen in Christ’s face. 7 We have this light from God in our human bodies. This shows that the power is from God. It is not from ourselves.” II Corinthians 4:6-7 NLV

We all have so many opportunities each day to be a light. Let’s share the greatness of God and His Word to brighten the paths of those around us.

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ALWAYS

You’ve heard the old expression “Practice What You Preach”; well, I’ve had that opportunity many times. Sharing thoughts about peace and how keeping our minds STAYED on the Lord is the only real way to a life in peace.

To me, it is one of the most important seeds from God’s word that I can plant in my life.

Like many of you, I’ve had the invitation to attend a big old pity party. The guest list is small – me, myself and I plus my thoughts. When trying to figure out where all these thoughts come from, we should realize we need to take action against them. The source of these thoughts is our enemy and the one who would like to rob our peace.

The Apostle Paul gives us instruction on recognizing our enemy and he tells us how to fight him.

“Finally, let the mighty strength of the Lord make you strong. 11 Put on all the armor that God gives, so you can defend yourself against the devil’s tricks. 12 We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world.” Ephesians 6:10-12 CEV

“For though we live in the body, we do not wage war in an unspiritual way, 4 since the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments 5 and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ.” II Corinthians 10:3-5 CEV

I love the part in this verse that says “taking every thought captive to obey Christ”!

Those thoughts of self-pity aren’t in line with God’s kind of thinking and so they have to go. I’d love to say that victory is instantaneous, but it probably won’t be. However, each time those thoughts try to come back, we should shift our focus and keep our mind stayed on God and His amazing love. Peace will return. When we stay focused the peace stays…just like He said it would.

Years ago, our oldest granddaughter came to visit. It was just her and I for almost two weeks. We had a great time together. One Sunday morning we were watching a pastor on tv. He was preaching a message on victory in Christ.

“ But thanks be to God, who always leads us in victory through Christ. God uses us to spread his knowledge everywhere like a sweet-smelling perfume.” II Corinthians 2:14 ERV

Always leads us in victory!

Fear likes to hold us captive – there are so many what ifs and unknowns. But Christ leads us to victory and gives us peace. For many years my granddaughter and I have just written the word “Always” in some of our communications. We both know it describes the message we want to convey.

Today I share it with you, may you ALWAYS have victory and stay in the peace of God.

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A Day of Victory

Last weekend our youngest daughter competed in her third half marathon. We weren’t at the finish line, but we were there in spirit. She competes against herself, not others, and this was a personal best for her. We were so happy for her.

That’s how it should be for all of us – not looking around to see who we can be better than or who we can defeat, other than our enemy the devil, but doing our best to be our personal best each and every day.

“ We do not compare ourselves with those who think they are good. They compare themselves with themselves. They decide what they think is good or bad and compare themselves with those ideas. They are foolish. ” II Corinthians 2:12 NLV

There is only one we should compare ourselves to and that is Jesus! He is our example.

“…Let us keep running in the race that God has planned for us. 2 Let us keep looking to Jesus. Our faith comes from Him and He is the One Who makes it perfect. He did not give up when He had to suffer shame and die on a cross. He knew of the joy that would be His later. Now He is sitting at the right side of God.” Hebrews 12:1b-2 NLV

Each morning when we rise we should have praise in our hearts for what God has done, is doing and will continue to do! He is Lord God Almighty and He is our Father. Jesus is our older brother and advocate. He is the One who proclaims that we are justified and reconciled to the Father. The Holy Spirit is our teacher, our counsellor and instructor.

We are on a winning team.

We have a written instruction for winning. The Father has given us His word, His infallible word. He never lies and His word has never been proven false nor will it ever be. Reading His word, meditating on it and making it the final authority in our lives brings us to victory.

“ I will give You thanks with all my heart. I will sing praises to You in front of the gods. 2 I will bow down toward Your holy house. And I will give thanks to Your name for Your loving-kindness and Your truth. For You have honored Your Word because of what Your name is. 3 You answered me on the day I called. You gave me strength in my soul.” Psalm 138:1-3 NLV

Life is like a race, not a sprint but a marathon. When we run with our eyes on Jesus we will finish victoriously!

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Saying Yes and Amen!

This morning I have just a few more verses to share with you on prayer. These are verses that have held me stable in my prayer life for years. First let’s take a look at what it means when we say “Amen” at the end of our prayer.

“The Son of God, Jesus Christ, the one that Silas, Timothy, and I told you about was not yes and no. In Christ it has always been yes. 20 The yes to all of God’s promises is in Christ. And that is why we say “Amen” through Christ to the glory of God. 21 And God is the one who makes you and us strong in Christ. God is also the one who chose us for his work.” II Corinthians 1:19-21 ERV

Because we are in Christ, we have God’s yes to all His promises. When we say AMEN, we are agreeing with Christ and saying “let it be so”. We are affirming what the Father has said and what the Son has done. We are affirming that we have been given God’s great and precious promises.

“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.” II Peter 1:3-4 NLT

These great and precious promises are ours because of Jesus. We have no claim to them on our own but only through Christ. But since we are in Christ, these promises are part of our inheritance from the Father. He has lavished these gifts, the promises in His word on us, by His grace.

We don’t earn them. We can’t work for them or obtain them on our own. We receive them as expressions of the Father’s love.

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT

Our salvation is the greatest answer to prayer. If there was ever anything that we are unworthy to ask for it would be the grace of God that makes us new. Yet, when we ask to be cleansed and forgiven the Father lovingly removes all our sin and restores us to right relationship.

That’s why we have such confidence when we pray. We can thank Him for all He has done – adopting us as His own and that gives us peace, freedom from worry when we come now asking for what we need.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Philippians 4:6 NLT

Don’t let prayer be a religious habit. Pray for the heart. Give the Father a hearty amen, let it be so!

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Home

Last night Dave and I sat outside and talked about our Arizona life. For years we used to travel to Arizona in January. Part of our trip was for business and part was for visiting family and friends.

Life in Montana was so cold in January, it felt good to soak in some Arizona sunshine. We had a longing in our hearts to return home. You see, I was born and raised in the State and Dave spent a good deal of his time growing up here too. We were seven years trying to sell our house so we could move back.

Some things require patience. When the Lord puts a dream in your heart it doesn’t always come to fruition immediately. It can take time to develop, the waiting can be hard but certainly worth it. That’s what we were talking about last night. The journey of getting from there to here.

We’re all on a journey of getting home. The Apostle Paul put it this way: “Our bodies are like tents that we live in here on earth. But when these tents are destroyed, we know that God will give each of us a place to live. These homes will not be buildings someone has made, but they are in heaven and will last forever. 2 While we are here on earth, we sigh because we want to live in that heavenly home.” II Corinthians 5:1-2 CEV

Paul was always looking forward to the promise God gave of life in heaven. He continued diligently in what God had called him to do – ministering to the Gentile world. He faced many hardships but never gave up his calling. As long as he was on earth he was going to be productively spreading the gospel of Christ. However, he wanted us all to keep a longing for home.

“You have been raised to life with Christ. Now set your heart on what is in heaven, where Christ rules at God’s right side. 2 Think about what is up there, not about what is here on earth. 3 You died, which means that your life is hidden with Christ, who sits beside God. 4 Christ gives meaning to your life, and when he appears, you will also appear with him in glory.” Colossians 3:1-4 CEV

My heart and my mind need to be set on things above.

Just as my physical body and thoughts desired to be back “home” in AZ, my spirit needs to be centered on heaven where Christ is. My desire to be with Christ should, and does, outweigh all other desires. Life down here is just preparation for the trip.

The old song we used to sing said, “This world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through”. May we live each day longing for our heavenly home while we enjoy where God has placed us on earth.

We are all on a journey towards home.

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Turn on the Light

I’m not sure how many times my parents had to tell me to turn off the lights until it became a natural reaction – walk out the door, turn the lights off. But this morning I want to encourage you to turn the lights on – light up the place, make it as bright as you can!

I listen to a lot of old country songs and there’s one by Trace Adkins that came out in the mid 1990’s. The song is about a man in love who leaves the lights on for his love so she can come back home.

“Every light in the house is on
The backyard’s bright as the crack of dawn
The front walk looks like runway lights
It’s kind of like noon in the dead of night
Every light in the house is on
Just in case you ever do get tired of bein’ gone
Every light in the house is on”

We should be leaving our lights on. We need to light up the world with the love of God!

“ No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:15-16 NLT

“Those who love their brothers and sisters live in the light, and there is nothing in them that will make them do wrong.” I John 2:10 ERV

An interesting fact about the Father. His love doesn’t grow or wane. His love is always the same.

“My dear friends, we must love each other. Love comes from God, and when we love each other, it shows that we have been given new life. We are now God’s children, and we know him. 8 God is love, and anyone who doesn’t love others has never known him. 9 God showed his love for us when he sent his only Son into the world to give us life. 10 Real love isn’t our love for God, but his love for us. God sent his Son to be the sacrifice by which our sins are forgiven. 11 Dear friends, since God loved us this much, we must love each other.” I John 4:7-11 CEV

We are the ones who choose to let love shine toward others or we can choose to condemn and criticize which turns the light off. The Father has placed His light in us.

“The Scriptures say, ‘God commanded light to shine in the dark.’ Now God is shining in our hearts to let you know that his glory is seen in Jesus Christ.” II Corinthians 4:6 CEV

The good thing about letting this light shine is we will never get a bill from the electric company. It’s ok to turn on every light in your house. Get out the flood lights, pull back the drapes, raise the shades and let the world be flooded with the light that God has placed within us!

Shine brightly and impact the world with the love of God today!

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Receiving and Giving

Several years ago, I wrote a book for the Advent Season. It is a 30-day devotional centered on the many gifts God has given us. He is a father who truly loves giving the best to his children.

“But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.” Deuteronomy 5:10 NLT

However, He isn’t a selfish Father. He wants us to share the blessings we receive with others.

“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” Luke 6:38 NLT

Dave and I love to give. God has planted that in our hearts in a marvelous way but there was a time we had nothing to give, we had to learn to receive. Friends brought a trunk full of groceries and gifts to our door just before Christmas. They said “we were just in the neighborhood”. That wasn’t completely true, they lived over 45 miles away, but their hearts were linked to ours and they followed the Lord’s leading and gave.

When we learn to receive from the Father, we are then enabled to give according to the Father’s heart. He gives unconditional love. He gives safety and protection, He promises to provide our every need. He gives us joy unspeakable, freedom from fear and worry.

“How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world.” Psalm 31:19 NLT

Never despise the size of your gift, thinking it’s too small or insignificant. To someone with an empty pantry two cans of beans is a feast. For someone who has only a dollar left to their name a ten-dollar bill is a huge blessing. Someone who has lost their life’s partner and are having their first Christmas alone will be blessed to join your family’s celebration.

“You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” II Corinthians 9:7-8 NLT

Give generously, not only at Christmas but all year through. Give what you have so graciously received from the Father. The blessing comes in giving what we have received!

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Renovations at Christmas

Last night we flew in after dark. The Christmas light display from the air was beautiful. Once on the ground we had quite a drive to get home, again I was taken by the lights. Someone, many some ones, had gone to great effort to renovate these homes into winter wonderlands.

That got me to thinking about our theme of yesterday, “Mighty God”.

“…and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 KJV

When you think about who God is and think about that phrase “mighty God” what comes to mind?

I think about the millions of lives that have been changed.

“On one of the days while Jesus was teaching, some proud religious law-keepers and teachers of the Law were sitting by Him. They had come from every town in the countries of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was there to heal them. 18 Some men took a man who was not able to move his body to Jesus. He was carried on a bed. They looked for a way to take the man into the house where Jesus was. 19 But they could not find a way to take him in because of so many people. They made a hole in the roof over where Jesus stood. Then they let the bed with the sick man on it down before Jesus.” Luke 5:17-19 NLV

Here was a man who was paralyzed. He had four friends who knew if he could get to Jesus something miraculous would happen. In comes the “home reno”. Not being able to get into the house where Jesus was, they went to the roof and began to dismantle it. They removed enough of the roofing material to lower this man, on his bed, to the floor below, just in front of Jesus.

I’m sure the homeowner was less that thrilled. Debris began falling on the religious leaders as the demo started. Jesus knew things were about to get real, someone was exhibiting great faith in Him, after all, He was Mighty God.

That man was completely healed, and his sins were forgiven. The vestiges of his old life had been completely demolished and a new life of walking free had begun.

Throughout the life of Jesus, we’ve seen many examples of renovated lives. A prostitute had the shame she had been living in destroyed and a new life of respectability was built. A rich man named Zacchaeus had his high-rise penthouse renovated, all greed removed, and compassion filled each room.

The demoniac who was living in a shack of fear, torment and disassociation saw his home, his life, rebuilt where there was no room for mental torment, anxiety, fear and humiliation.

All of these people, and more, were touched and changed by the one called “Mighty God”.

“ For if a man belongs to Christ, he is a new person. The old life is gone. New life has begun.” II Corinthians 5:17 NLV

Be open to renovating this Christmas. The “Mighty God” reconstruction company comes to work as soon as a prayer is made. He’s willing to change the home, the heart, of anyone who asks.

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A Son Is Given

We just spent four days with our son and his girlfriend, and it’s been wonderful! Yesterday afternoon he took us to the home of our oldest granddaughter and her family. It was the first time we had been in their home. Another wonderful time!

Have you noticed how hard it is to say good-bye after a particularly enjoying visit? Whether they come to our house, or we go to theirs, it’s hard to leave without a tug in our hearts. But they all have lives with their own set of responsibilities, so no visit gets to go on forever.

Now imagine…what if you said good-bye to your Son, for the first time. You had always been together, it was the perfect Father/Son relationship. Never a squabble, always together in perfect harmony and now He was going to leave, and he wouldn’t be returning for years!

“ For to us a Child will be born. To us a Son will be given. And the rule of the nations will be on His shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Teacher, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 NLV

Imagine even further that you were the One who was sending Him away. Sending Him to fulfill His destiny but that destiny would end with His death. God the Father gave us His Son freely.

“Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. 18 God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.19 What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world.” II Corinthians 5:17-19 CEV

Many times we look at the events of the Bible through a religious lens and don’t take it personally. However, giving His Son to the earth’s population was a great sacrifice. A sacrifice of love, a sacrifice made freely and without reservation.

A Son was given!

Given for our redemption. The first gift of Christmas was the gift of life, the gift of a redemption, the gift of the Son!

“ Christ became human flesh and lived among us. We saw His shining-greatness. This greatness is given only to a much-loved Son from His Father. He was full of loving-favor and truth.” John 1:14 NLV

Jesus came to show us how to have a loving relationship with the Father.

Unto to us a Son was given!

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