How do you smell?
I must admit some days on the race I really don’t smell so great. Bucket showers and the constant sweat
in the last 6 months have adjusted my idea of clean. But I do not want to talk about the days on end in which a
shower isn’t always available. The
kind of fragrance I am talking about is the aroma of Christ. In Thailand we were asked that our
lives would be a fragrant offering to the Lord, that people would be drawn to
us as we radiate Him. This got me
thinking, what does my life look like to those around me, from the outside
looking in?
If being honest, my team, my family, and my closest friends
could probably tell you some not so great things. They could tell you of moments when my aroma does not
reflect Christ in a way that honors Him.
We all have moments where we are not being our best self. Those times when we are impatient,
selfish, short tempered, and judgmental.
These are all things that are being refined in me this year, sifted out
of my life. None of us will be
perfect in all things at all times, which is where grace comes in, but striving
to live with the same attitude of Christ is clearly how we are called to
live.
2 Corinthians 3:3-4 reads:
“You yourselves show that you are a letter of Christ, the
result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the spirit of the living
God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence as this is ours through
Christ before God. Not that we are
competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but that our competence
comes from God. He has made us
competent ministers of the new covenant- not of the letter but of the Spirit,
for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.�
The word tells us that we are a Christ’s letter of
recommendation to this world. If
your life and actions are the only representation of Christ that other people
ever see, how accurately does your life reflect God? What do your actions speak of His character? While being in
a village in which almost no one had even heard the name of Jesus, this idea
became very important to me.
Although I think it is very important to go to church on Sunday, what
good is it if our lives don’t reflect Gods love and grace? What do we tell people about the God we
serve if our lives shown no difference from those who don’t know him? The truth is that if I can’t show grace
to my teammate that is on my last nerve or choose to forgive my friend, then
what good is proclaiming the love of Christ that lives inside of me. If you
don’t practice what you preach, we are living empty religion rather than rejoicing
in a life changing relationship with the spirit of the living God.
One thing this year has taught me is that Church is not
contained in 4 walls. The body of
Christ exists in every day moments, actions, and encouragements. The body is here to not only build each
other up, but to shine light and love to others around us. Our walk with God was never meant for
Sundays, bible studies, or weekly prayer meetings. It was not meant for “religious moments�. Living out my faith is choosing to put
others before myself, to choose show grace when it is the last thing on my
mind, to step out of my comfort zone to display God’s love to someone I may not
even know. It is listening for
God’s voice everyday in every moment and doing what He says. You see, if we call ourselves Christians,
we have the distinct privilege of bearing the name of Christ. As ambassadors of Christ we represent
Him at all times, in all moments, everyday, not just Sunday.
So I will ask you again, how do you smell? What does you letter say to those
around you? What is written on the
tablet of your heart?
