But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. (2 Corinthians 2:14-17 ESV)
Father, I thank you tonight that you are sufficient for us. I want to remember that like Paul said, Who is sufficient for these things? The answer is you alone. We are in Christ- united to Him. Because he is the victorious King, we move through life and into the world celebrating and being comforted in our King and what he has done for me and for all of us who know him. I want Jesus and the knowledge of him to be more of a reality inside of my heart! I'm so thankful for the gospel of grace tonight. I don't have to prove myself or find my identity anywhere. I want to smell like Jesus. Today I saw a Tshirt that just read, "I'm full of myself." I have to admit that If Im honest about it, that I am as well. I need to be changed from my own likeness to Christ likeness. But may the Lord be so at work in me that others get a whiff of him. May we have his aroma so that others may receive the knowledge of him when they encounter us. That is, may others sense him in our lives when they see us and come into contact with us. May I, and all of us, live as "men of sincerity". May neighbors see our hearts and that we are real because he is real. We pray especially for Towa, humbly asking for his full recovery. His faith smells like Jesus to me. This world is not the way it is supposed to be and that is hard for us. Jesus knows our hearts and trouble. We are weak but he is strong. We long to see Towa recover, and we are in grief about his pain and suffering. We pray for him and the Aoyagis to be the aroma of Christ at the hospital and in their relationships. May you minister to them through us. In Jesus' comforting name, Amen.
