A Fragrance

Katie nervously walked into the church youth group party that Linda had invited her to attend. She hadn’t been to a church since she was a little girl and didn’t know what to expect at a Valentine dinner with mostly strangers. But her heart started to calm when she found valentines at her plate that had been written for her from everyone there. They had cards for each other too, but it touched Katie’s heart that they would think to do that for her, a visitor to their group.

Katie felt so welcomed that she accepted Linda’s invitation to a church service. There she heard about God’s love for her in spite of her sinfulness, and she embraced Jesus’ forgiveness. The youth group had given her a fragrance of God’s love, and God opened her heart to trust Him.

“If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another,” the apostle John said (1 John 4:11). That’s a love for our brothers and sisters in Christ as well as for those who don’t yet know Him. Ray Stedman wrote, “As God’s love shines into our hearts, we become more open to others, allowing the fragrance of love to drift out and attract those around us.” The youth group did that for Katie.

God can spread the fragrance of His love through us today.

Lord, I’m so thankful that because You first loved me, I am able to love others. Please spread the sweet fragrance of Your love through me to everyone I interact with today. Amen.

A godly life is a fragrance that draws others to Christ.

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The Legacy

One day my wife called me at work and said, “Something’s going on next door. Lots of cars are there.” Because of my neighbor’s occupation, I feared the worst, and soon those fears were realized. Our neighbor, policeman Trevor Slot, had just been killed in the line of duty, trying to stop the escape of two bank robbers. Our community was stunned.

Trevor had no time to prepare for his death. Yet he was ready. His faith in Christ was secure, and his reputation as a remarkable man was intact. At his funeral, attended by hundreds of fellow officers, his colleague Detective Brandyn Heugel said, “He was a dedicated police officer, but first and foremost he was a loving husband to Kim and a doting father to Kaitlyn and Abbie.” Indeed the theme of Trevor’s tributes all centered on his great personality and his love and care for his family.

Trevor’s life exemplified the words of Colossians 3:12-13, “Put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another.” Those traits leave an inspiring legacy.

We don’t know when God will call us home, but we do know this: Each day is an opportunity to leave a testimony worthy of our faith.

Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful; May the fire of our devotion light their way; May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe, And the lives we live inspire them to obey. —Mohr

Each day we add to our legacy—good or bad.

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From Head To Heart

My childhood piano teacher was a stickler for memorization. Being able to play a piece without error was not enough. I had to play several pieces flawlessly by memory. Her reasoning was this: She didn’t want her students to say, when asked to play, “I’m sorry, I don’t have my music with me.”

As a child, I also memorized Bible passages, including Psalm 119:11. Due to my limited understanding, I believed that simple memorization would keep me from sin. I worked hard at memorizing verses, and I even won a Moody Bible Story Book as an award.

Although memorizing the Bible is a good habit to develop, it’s not the act of memorizing that keeps us from sin. As I learned soon after my winning efforts, having the words of Scripture in my head made little difference in my behavior. In fact, instead of victory over sin, knowledge alone generated feelings of guilt.

Eventually I realized that the Word of God had to spread through my whole being. I needed to internalize Scripture, to hide it “in my heart” the way a musician does a piece of music. I had to live the Bible as well as I could quote it. As God’s Word spreads from our heads to our hearts, sin loses its power over us.

O Lord, my God, may Your Word become so much a part of me that obedience comes naturally and cheerfully from my heart. Change me andmold me into Your image.

Let God’s Word fill your memory, rule your heart, and guide your life.

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The Romance

Widows in biblical times often faced a life of poverty. That’s the situation Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, were in after each woman lost her husband. But God had a plan to provide security for them while involving Ruth as an integral part of a much bigger plan.

Boaz, a wealthy landowner, knew of and admired Ruth (Ruth 2:5-12), but he was surprised when he awoke one night to see her lying at his feet (3:8). She asked him to “spread the corner” of his garment over her to indicate that as a close relative he was willing to be her “kinsman-redeemer” (v.9 NIV). This was more than a request for protection; she was requesting marriage. Boaz agreed to marry her (vv.11-13; 4:13).

Not exactly your typical romantic tale. But Ruth’s choice to follow Naomi’s instructions (3:3-6) set up a series of events that placed her in God’s plan of redemption! From Ruth’s marriage to Boaz came a son (Obed), the eventual grandfather of King David (4:17). Generations later, Joseph was born to the family, and he became the “legal father” of Mary’s child (Matt. 1:16-17; Luke 2:4-5)—our Kinsman-Redeemer, Jesus.

Ruth trusted God and followed Naomi’s instructions even though the ending was uncertain. We too can count on God to provide for us when life is unsure.

Lord, give us humility and sensitivity to listen to advice from loved ones who know You well. Show us the right thing to do in our uncertain times and to trust You for the results. Amen.

Fear hinders faith, but trust kindles confidence.

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Beyond Just And Fair

Working conditions in England during the 19th century were abysmal. Men, women, and children labored in dangerous factories during the day and went home to dirty tenement slums at night. Many of the factory owners cared little for the well-being of their employees.

But during that time, the owners of the Cadbury chocolate company were different. Quakers by conviction and business entrepreneurs by giftedness, they focused on improving the working conditions of their 200 workers. The Cadburys built a state-of-the-art factory with heated dressing rooms, a kitchen, and recreational areas. And to care for the employees’ spiritual needs, the workday started with Bible study.

Colossians 4:1 tells us: “Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.” Certainly the Cadburys sought to give their employees what was just and fair. But their heavenly orientation motivated them to go a step further to meet physical and spiritual needs.

Though we may not own a company, we do have regular contact with a variety of people. As believers, it is important to be ethical in our dealings. We can also, with God’s enablement, care about others’ well-being through prayer, encouragement, and the meeting of physical needs (Gal. 6:10).

Lord, thank You for loving us and meeting our needs. Often You bring people into our lives who need Your love and care. Give us wisdom to creatively reach out a helping hand that we might share Your kindness.

God blesses us so that we can bless others.

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Six-Word Testimony

Over the past 15 years, Dan Smith’s name and face have appeared on fliers in coffee shops, laundromats, and small businesses across New York City. The six-word slogan on each flier says: Dan Smith Will Teach You Guitar. The result is that Mr. Smith stays as busy as he wants to be, teaching his students how to play the guitar. Many enthusiastic students hang his fliers in new places. It’s their way of saying, “Dan Smith taught me guitar. He can teach you too.”

The pages of the Bible are filled with accounts of people telling what God has done for them. One of the most vivid appears in John 9 where Jesus encountered a man blind from birth and miraculously enabled him to see (vv.1-7). After repeated questioning by skeptical local religious leaders, the man could only say, “One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see” (v.25).

If you had six words to express what Christ has done for you and can do for others, what would you say? Perhaps, “Jesus Christ will forgive your sin,” or “. . . give you hope” or “. . . save your soul.” When Jesus has changed our lives, we affirm His power to do for others what He has done for us.

“I was blind, now I see.”

It is no secret what God can do. What He’s done for others, He’ll do for you. With arms wide open, He’ll pardon you. It is no secret what God can do. —Hamblen

We are Christ’s “letters of recommendation” to all who read our lives.

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The Truth About Maps

GPS is the latest way for travelers to find the best route to their destination, but my husband and I still navigate the old-fashioned way—with maps. Since Jay is usually the driver, the role of map watcher is mine by default. In general, I am not directionally challenged, but it seems that way when I try to navigate while the car is moving. Even though I know where we want to end up, I can’t figure out the best way to get there if we don’t stop to find out where we are. I need to get my bearings.

This can be true in our spiritual life as well. When we try to figure out the way God wants us to go, we need to stop and get our spiritual bearings. If we don’t, we are likely to end up lost in unintended places, situations, or relationships.

In helping His disciples navigate life and find their way through the traps and temptations of the world, Jesus often said, “stop.” “Stop grumbling,” “stop judging by mere appearances,” “stop doubting and believe” (John 6:43; 7:24; 20:27 NIV). To follow Jesus, we frequently have to stop something we are doing that’s wrong. As we depend on His guidance, we will learn to go in the way He says is right.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. —Psalm 139:23-24

God’s way is the right way to go.

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Wake-Up Call

One early autumn morning as I drove to work in the dark, I was startled by a flash of brown in my headlights followed by the sound of something hitting the front of my car. I had clipped a deer at 70 miles per hour! It was only a glancing blow, and no damage was done to my car (or the deer, as far as I could tell), but it really shook me up. I had been in my usual “autopilot mode” for the familiar drive to the office, but the shock of the incident certainly got my attention. I was now fully alert and trying to calm a racing heartbeat. It was a most unpleasant wake-up call.

The apostle Peter offers us a different kind of wake-up call—one that while unpleasant is necessary. He alerts us to a spiritual battle we are engaged in with a powerful enemy. Peter warns, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). This is a call to wake up, see the danger, and be ready for his attack!

Only when we are aware of the danger that faces us every day will we consciously seek the help we need. And only if we are on the alert will we lean on the strength of our Lord, who is greater than our spiritual enemy.

Though evil may surround us, We need not fear defeat; For when God fights the battle, Our enemies retreat. —Sper

The Christian life is a battleground.

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Forsaken?

Do you know which psalm is quoted most often in the New Testament? You may have guessed the familiar and beloved 23rd Psalm, but actually it is Psalm 22. This psalm begins with David’s poignant, heart- breaking words that were quoted by Jesus on the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:34).

Imagine the situation David must have found himself in that caused him to cry out to God in this way. Notice that he felt forsaken and abandoned: “Why are You so far from helping me?” (Ps. 22:1). He also felt ignored: “O my God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear” (v.2).

Ever been there? Have you ever looked up into the heavens and wondered why it seemed that God had abandoned you, or was ignoring you? Welcome to David’s world. But for every plaintive cry David expresses, there is a characteristic of God mentioned that rescues him from despondency. Through it all, David discovers that God is holy (v.3), trustworthy (vv.4-5), a deliverer and rescuer (vv.8,20-21), and his strength (v.19).

Do you feel forsaken? Seek the Lord. Rehearse His character. And “let your heart rejoice with everlasting joy” (v.26 nlt).

Lord, sometimes I feel as if You don’t care about my life. When those times come, please remind me of Your character as You did David. Help me to lean on You again and know that You are there.

Even when we don’t sense God’s presence, His loving care is all around us.

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Something To Hide

If you have something to hide, Mike Slattery may have the solution. Several years ago, a cell-phone company wanted to erect an antenna on his property and disguise it as a pine tree. Mike had a better idea and built a fake barn with vinyl panels that allow the radio waves to pass through them. He developed that concept into a company that builds structures to hide antennas for aesthetic and security reasons. Slattery is convinced that many of his neighbors still have no idea what’s inside his barn (The Gazette, Colorado Springs).

Most of us are trying to keep something out of sight. It may be as harmless as clutter in a basement or as toxic as the moral and spiritual failings we try to hide from others, ourselves, and even from God.

In Psalm 32, David described the futility of trying to conceal his sin (vv.3-4) and the relief of opening his soul to the Lord: “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin” (v.5).

Confessing our sins to God and forsaking them brings a sense of freedom to our souls and the awareness that we have nothing to hide.

Lord Jesus, help me come to You When I would rather run and hide My sinfulness and foolish ways; Forgive and make me clean inside. —Sper

Whenever we’re ready to uncover our sins, God is ready to cover them.

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