Good morning!
Thank you to everyone for prayed for me and my husband over the last couple of weeks. We had a bad case of the flu. I'm thankful that both of us are well now and that our daughter was protected from getting it.
Today, I want to focus on 2 Corinthians 2:14-15.
The New International Version is show above. The Amplified version says it this way...
But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ's victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere, For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ [which exhales] unto God, [discernible alike] among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing....
When we speak with our friends, family, coworkers, nod to those we encounter on the street, smile at the cashier, and all of the interactions we have during the day with others, we should be a sweet fragrance of Christ to them.
What does that mean?
Part of what it means is that Christ should be evident in our life. The here and now. Today. This situation. That phone call. When people see us, speak with us, do business with us, there should be something about us that makes them see more than our face. For some, they will ask why are we always smiling. For others they won't be able to put their finger on it, but they know each time they are around you, they feel better.
Because Christ lives in us, we should be His feet and His hands in this world. That fragrance of Christ we have, it will be the very oxygen some need who don't know Christ. Or maybe they've heard of Him, but never really considered getting to know Him on a personal level.
I have a challenge for you this week.
The next time you call to make an appointment, stand in line for the cashier, call to check on the status of an order, or any dealings with someone that is performing a service for you... before you hang up, before you grab your lunch through the drive-thru window, before you turn and walk away.... Take a few seconds and tell them something nice. Something like, "Thank you for helping me get my appointment scheduled. You've been very nice to work with, and I appreciate that. I hope you have a great day." It sounds so easy to do, right? It could be exactly what they needed to hear to keep them from going off the deep end. Or to keep them from hating their job that day. Or to refocus them on the people and not the job. You never know what someone is dealing with at home. You never know how much pain someone may be in and hiding it from the world. Build them up a little. Tell them thank you. They did a good job. You appreciate their help. If you want to share your story doing this over the next week, we'd love to read it in the comments.
For those of you who enjoy Bible Journaling, link up your pages at the top of my blog under the Bible Journaling tab. We'd love to see your work. I've included my latest Bible Journaling at the beginning of this post. Since I'm no artist (though wouldn't that be nice?), I used stickers and pattern paper for this page. It's not really about the art anyway. It's about spending time with God and meditating on His Word.
Have a great week, everyone. Thank you for being here. I appreciate your comments on my Inspiration Wednesday posts. It's always good to know someone is reading this, and I'm not just talking to myself. LOL I hope you all have a fabulous day. I pray the burdens on your heart are lifted.
