18 Sep: The Fragrance of Christ
We are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish. 2 Corinthians 2:15
Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 2:14–17
There was a rancher who lived outside Lometa, Texas, and his two grandsons were my closest friends growing up. When he drove into town, we’d tag along behind him while he picked up supplies and visited with everybody he ran into. He knew their names, and he knew what they were carrying. He’d stop and ask after a child who’d been sick or a marriage that had gone hard, and he’d find something to say that lifted them. Sometimes he’d quote a verse. Sometimes he’d pray with them right there on the sidewalk, if that seemed like the thing to do. I’ve never forgotten the man. He never pushed his faith on anybody, but he left some of it everywhere he went.
That old rancher carried what Paul called the sweet “savour of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:15). God used him to “manifest the savour of [Christ] knowledge” (verse 14). He’s with the Lord now, but the scent of him still hangs in the air around Lometa.
C. S. Lewis once wrote that there are no ordinary people, and that none of us has ever had a conversation with a mere mortal. Every encounter carries eternal weight. Any given day hands us chances to matter in somebody’s life, whether through a steady, gentle way of living or a few kind words to a person worn thin. Don’t sell short what a Christlike life does to the people who are watching it.
By: James Hawkins
Go deeper on: The Fragrance of Christ
Reflect & Pray
What do you think about the statement, “There are no neutral contacts”? What difference could it make in the way you view every contact and conversation throughout the day?
Fill me, Holy Spirit, with love, gentleness, and kindness toward others.