Living As The Sweet Fragrance Of God

Furthermore, when I came to Troas

to preach Christ's Gospel, and a door

was opened to me by the Lord.

I had no rest in my spirit,

because I did not find Titus my brother;

but taking my leave of them,

I departed for Macedonia.

Now thanks be to God who always leads us

in triumph in Christ, and through us

diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge

in every place.  For we are to God

the fragrance of Christ among those

who are being saved and among those

who are perishing.

2 Corinthians 2: 12 -- 15

            The preaching and work of Paul there in Troas apparently had been successful and now he was on his way to Macedonia and apparently according to Acts chapter 20 many disciples had collected around him and he was now about to leave them.  Why?  Because God had opened the door for him to preach in to the Macedonia region.  This speaks of something we need to understand and that is about the call of God.  Many people speak about the call of God in their lives and most certainly they may have heard His call, the question then is: are they actually acting upon this call?  I'm sure many have been called, yet the question would be is: if God actually called that person is that person acting upon what he believes is his work in regard to evangelism or is he stifling his call?. Let us not forget this most important fact: God is the prime mover above all circumstances.  To aid us in this study about the call I will take an excerpt from Oswald Chambers book So Send I You: (italics will be mine): " We are apt to forget the mystical supernatural touch of God that comes with His call.  If a man can tell you how he got the call of God and all without it, it is questionable whether he ever had to call.  A call to be a professional man may come in that explicit way, but the call of God is much more supernatural.  The realization of the call of God in a man's life may come as a sudden thunderclap or by a gradual dawning, but in whatever way it comes, it comes with the undercurrent of the supernatural, almost the uncanny, something that cannot be put into words.  We need to keep the atmosphere of our mind prepared by the Holy Spirit lest we forget the surprise of the touch of God on our lives."  Paul, and we also, should never become unaware of the practical situations in which you found yourself as did Paul.  Paul could not come immediately to the Corinthian church, the circumstances he faced did not allow for that to occur.  Furthermore he had received a call of God to go to Macedonia and due to this fact,  his faith and his consolation was in his Lord and God.  In spite of all circumstances Paul, and we also should be assured of God's plan.  As parents we have the responsibility to teach our children about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for we know as adults that our children will be facing serious circumstances in their life that will attempt in many ways to turn them away from the faith of Jesus Christ. Many are led away from the call of God. Are you praying for your children, and are you taking time to study God's Word with your children?  Can your children when they grow older look back and thank God for you and how God has answered your prayers for them?  Those memories of those times when these things occurr, prayer and study of God's Word, will be a stimulus for their lives and even be an amazement so that they can face any obstacle that may attempt to perplex them.  Are we teaching our children to be patient knowing that they are in the mighty hands of God and that if they are patient and the issues they face will be in accordance with His will?  The call of God is not because God has need for your service; He can do whatever without you.  God does and will use people for His service to forward the absorbing work that is to be done and that is to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the outermost parts of the world.  This will take courage!  God is not very far off!  We are all called to be witnesses and ambassadors for Jesus Christ; yet, there are those who are called into a special service for God; i.e., missionaries, pastors, teachers of the word, etc..  Here is a quote worth meditating upon: "The great business of man's life, is to answer the end for which he lives."
~ William Penn, No Cross, No Crown (1668-1669).

            As Paul was, and we are to be, as one who has triumph in Jesus Christ who have been diffused to be the fragrance of His knowledge in every place and this diffusion occurs by means of our witness and ambassadorship.  We are to be the fragrance of Jesus Christ to those who are being saved and even to those who are not being saved and are perishing: "To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life.  And who is sufficient for these things?  For we are not, as many, peddling the Word of God; we speak in the sight of God in Christ" (2 Corinthians 2: 16 -- 17).  It is interesting, they use of the word "peddling" the Greek word is: καηλεύοντες; this is a plural masculine participle in the present tense and means for one to be a retailer, a huckster, a peddler, to deal paltrily with someone, to adulterate or to corrupt.  Many who call themselves Christian in our leaders in certain churches do exactly that and do not work from sincerity but further own gain.  We speak in the sight of God and Jesus and we speak in sincerity and we do this as we pray and study God's Word.  We meditate upon his word and apply in our lives.

THE SHULAMITE

Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods,

            so is my beloved among the sons.

I set down in his shade with great delight,

            and his fruit was sweet to my taste.

                        Song of Solomon 2: 3

Today be the sweet fragrance of God

Richard L. Crumb