A friend of mine went out of town for a few days, and she asked me to get her mail while she was gone. While I was in her neighborhood today, I decided to go running around her subdivision instead of the park, for a change in scenery during exercise always makes it go faster...not to mention how seeing new places is one of my favorite things to do! I had begun trekking down a particular street that runs along one of the rivers that flooded. With nearly every home on both sides of the street being flooded, the entire street has had a distinct, dense blanket of moldy smelling air for about a month now. Although the smell has gotten less offensive, it is still noticable. I was running along, thinking about the families that own these homes, the children that grew up there, the tennis players whose courts were destroyed, the possessions lost, the lives affected, when all of a sudden, this floral scent is filling my nostrils. It only lasted a few seconds, and then it was gone--back to the damp, moldy, outdoorish smell. I looked around, realizing I had passed a magnolia tree. How awesome! Amidst a mile's worth of yucky odors, the fruit of this tree gave off such a pleasant aroma. Is that not how we should be as believers? Is that not what we are called to be as God's children? At this point, I was tired, sweaty, and feeling like I wasn't sure if I could make it the whole mile, but my thoughts changed. I no longer saw the negative things that were left from the flood. I no longer saw the destruction. I saw grace. I remembered that no one, at least on that street, had experienced death. I was counting my blessings for having not been affected to that extent. I was thankful for my friend and her son whose home is up a hill and wasn't affected at all by the flood waters. Two passages came to mind as I made my way back to my friend's house.
From Corinthians 2:14-16,
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. 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 from Ephesians 5:1,2
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
Corinthians talks about us, as believers, being that aroma to the world. This is only because of Christ living in us. Ephesians talks about Christ, Himself, being a sweet aroma. It only makes sense for Him to the true Source of any sweet fragrance we know.
something like that happened to me not long ago: i was walking (not running) down the bayou and there is a particular spot that is overgrown, dark and eerie to me. as i approached the "darkness" and the "not sure what's in there" part of the walk, i realized that there was honey suckle completely covering it...wow how God took away my fear that day and assured me He had all things covered! keep writing, dear one
ReplyDeletei love you, sarah allison metcalf
O how I am blessed, as a husband and a father, to hear my bride and my child talk about the wonders and beauties of God in Christ.
ReplyDeleteFor Christ is the One who, even before His becoming flesh and dwelling among us, was on the heart and mind of God. We have many glimpses of that. One being as Noah offered burnt offerings on the altar. "And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma." -- This is another foreshadowing of Christ's atonement for us. But to the God who is not limited by time, and always accomplishes His purposes for His glory, He already considered it as good as done. - Can anything stop the hand of the LORD?
Acts 2:22,23 - "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know--(23)Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death."
1 Pet.1:18-20 - "...you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,(19)but with the preceious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.(20)He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world..."
Rev.13:8 - "All who dwell on the earth will worship him(the Anti-Christ), whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."
So God smelled a soothing aroma in the offering made by Noah because of Christ crucified, so that He could make the covenant that "Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." -- So even in times of floods, we have the promise because of His grace in Christ. - And we see beautiful rainbows as a sign of that covenant, and get to smell the flowers along the way.
But as we have been shown grace by God, we are shown His warnings also. - Though He shall not destroy the world in a flood, yet it shall be destroyed (not by an oil spill, either).
Read 2 Peter 3 - especially verse 10.