Jesus’ People Are The Potpourri of Heaven…

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 NLT:

But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. 
Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. 
Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God.
But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. 
To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom.
But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume.
And who is adequate for such a task as this?

Wow. Reading the verses above just now, I feel as if I have had the spiritual wind knocked out of me. I am stunned that I have missed this Truth, that I often forget (or fail to realize) that every moment of my day is

a walking sermon,
a living testimony,
a fleshy reflection,
a spiritual aroma

to the Truth of Jesus Christ, the Lord of heaven and earth. Forgive me, Savior, for ever thinking that ANY moments in my life are

mundane,
common,
ordinary,
plain,
boring,
uneventful,
unimportant,
normal.

What a sobering and humbling honor: all those who have trusted Jesus as their Savior, Forgiver, King, and God become

the potpourri of heaven in a rotting world of decay,
the fragrance of faith in Yahweh,
the scent of Jesus’ offer of salvation,
the aroma of God’s unconditional love,
the bonfire of the Holy Spirit’s beauty,
the perfume of the LORD’s peace,
the tang of God’s tangible touch,
the whiff of the wonderful Counselor,
the spice of Yahweh’s splendor,
the redolence of Jesus’ reconciliation.

How do we do this, Jesus-People?

Not on our own strength; surely not.

And not only in special situations of religious rite and ritual.

Rather, as we ask the Holy Spirit to fill us, guide us, and empower us each day, He helps us emit the incense of God’s indescribable grace through our uncommon posture in common circumstances as we:

1. Genuinely smile while passing by other people (image of God-bearers) in a store, looking them in the eyes and actually seeing them internally (not just noticing them externally);
2. Authentically thank those who serve us at a restaurant or grocery store, not just verbalizing the phrase “thank you” but actually expressing sincere gratitude and appreciation for the efforts of the person as they bag our bread or top off our tea;
3. Attentively listen and empathetically relate to the story, situation, or circumstance of another human, focusing on understanding their perspective and not just preparing to re-direct the conversation back to ourselves,
4. Enthusiastically read a book to a child, grabbing their attention as we read with varying accents, inflections, and volumes to convey to them the message of the story;
5. Generously wave through another car at a stop sign, even if we were there first;
6. Anonymously drop off an encouraging note or a plate of freshly-baked treats to a neighbor;
7. Graciously allow others to interrupt us, setting aside our wants to attend to their needs;
8. Pause to pray for a loved one, acquaintance, or stranger when they cross your mind;
9. Intentionally wake up extra early (or stay up extra late) to complete a chore that another family member normally does;
10. Thoughtfully bring a fresh cup of coffee or mug of tea to a co-worker or colleague;
11. Consciously forgive and improve the lives of those who have hurt us;
12. Leave a brief note/message specifically complimenting a godly characteristic in another person;
13. Instinctively introduce ourselves to those we do not know (i.e. friends we haven’t met yet);
14. Creatively consider (and then act upon!) ways to temporarily relieve the pressure of a single-mom, new parent, or laid-off friend.

Those are just a few of the ways that we can give off a trail of Jesus’ love in our daily lives.

Jesus-People–we are His aroma on earth…may we never forget that!

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2 The Message:

“God put the world square with himself through the Messiah,
giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins.

God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing.
We’re Christ’s representatives.
God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them.
We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.

How? you ask. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.

Companions as we are in this work with you, we beg you, please don’t squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us. God reminds us,

I heard your call in the nick of time;
The day you needed me, I was there to help.

Well, now is the right time to listen, the day to be helped. Don’t put it off…”