“For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life” (2 Corinthians 2:15-16).

Whenever I visit my mom and dad, one of the reasons why I know I’m home is because of the aroma of my parent’s home. I’ve been in hundreds and thousands of homes, but no other place on planet earth smells like mom and dad’s house.

I know I’m home because of the aroma of mom and dad’s home.

There are certain scents that open up a world of fond and pleasant memories. The aroma of freshly baked bread, cookies, or a pie…yum!!!

I love the smell of freshly brewed coffee in the mornings. Just the aroma of good coffee inspires me to get up to tackle the day.

At the same time, there are certain scents that are so acrid, sharp, stinky that we can’t get the smell out of our minds.

Christ-follower, did you know you smell? The question is whether we are an aroma that brings life or an aroma that brings death.

The way we handle the ups and downs, the joys and the heartaches, the victories and failures points people to Jesus, the hope of the world. Or, the way we handle these things demonstrate that we are just as hopeless and lost as anyone else.

Remember, you are children of the King of kings, the Lord of lords. You are fellow co-heirs with the risen Christ. There is nothing happening in the world today where you are alone.

There is enough of the stink in our world. Be an aroma of life wherever you show up today. Show people how God’s people live. May your life point people to Jesus.

“Create in my a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).

I have a heart problem.

It is true that I have heart disease. I have four bypasses and sixteen stents in my heart because of my heart disease. But, that’s not what I’m talking about.

The sickness of my heart is a spiritual condition. You see, my heart longs for sin. My heart desires sin. My heart is enamored with sin. It doesn’t matter that God hates sin. My heart still desires sin.

Thus, I pray daily, “create in me a pure heart, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

As I pray this prayer, I sometimes wonder, “Is it even working?” I seem to struggle with the same things over and over. I can’t help but wonder, is there any change happening in me? Why am I not changing?

You see, the change I think I am praying is, “God, my heart is sick and diseased. Please change my heart.” And, in praying this prayer, what I’m thinking is that instantaneously I go from longing for sin and only longing for God. The change I am expecting is a change that is instantaneous and complete.

Now, that’s what I call a change! That would be awesome. That’s what I want.

But, change doesn’t happen like that. Sanctification doesn’t happen like that. Becoming more like Christ doesn’t happen like that. Change and sanctification happens incrementally. And because of the “slowness” of change, we can become discouraged and even distraught at the seeming lack of change.

But that doesn’t mean change isn’t happening. It doesn’t mean God is not at work.

Consider the tree in the spring. If you were to stand by the tree to look for change, you would stand by the tree for days, weeks, months and never see change. But that doesn’t mean change isn’t happening. You just need to give it some time.

In time, by late fall, that tree would have gone through a beautiful transformation. Compare the tree that is in front of the Little Church in the summer versus the tree in fall above.

It’s like that with us. God is at work. God is always at work in us. Trust in the process. Trust in God.

“I gave you empty stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the LORD (Amos 4:6).

Blessings.

Whenever we think of blessings, we always think in terms of addition. Blessings are things we get. We rarely think of blessings as those things we don’t get.

God declares, “I gave you empty stomachs…I gave you lack of bread.”

That doesn’t sound like a blessing. That sounds like a curse!

Why would God give Israel empty stomachs and lack of bread?

So they can return to the LORD.

Sometimes, God gives us empty stomachs and lack of bread so that we can turn to the LORD. Sometimes, we forget that what we need is, not material things, but God.

So, sometimes, it is a gift not to have.

Why? God is more concerned with your spiritual and eternal welfare and maturity than he is with your comfort.