Good Words from God’s Word
What smells good to you? When I think of good smells, I think of a baby who has just been bathed in Johnson’s baby lotion. I think of Robbie’s fresh baked tea cakes. I think of the Hiwassee River where I can sit on the river bank and smell the memory of my father teaching me to trout fish when I was 6 years old. When I think of good smells, I think of ocean breezes, spring rain, barbeque, or my mother’s fried chicken. Everybody likes a good smell.
When I think of bad smells, I immediately remember what a death ward inside a hospital in a foreign country where I traveled smelled like. I have never smelled a smell like that anywhere and I do not care to smell that smell ever again. Death is one of the most repugnant, sickening, penetrating smells you can imagine. Death is a smell you would like to forget, but can’t. The stench of it stays with you forever.
After the Judaizers did their best to stink up the church, the apostle James made a decision:
“Therefore it is my judgement that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles.” (Acts 15:19)
James made a statement that turned out to be a binding resolution which was adopted by the church. The word for “TROUBLE” means that they do not “CROWD” the Gentiles, or bully them.
It means that there be no ANNOYANCE or added COMPLICATION made upon these new converts. James said to the trouble-makers, “Stop making trouble! Trouble always stinks, so stop it.”
The photographer for a national magazine was assigned to get photos of a great forest fire. Smoke at the scene hampered him and he asked his home office to hire a plane. Arrangements were made and he was told to go at once to a nearby airport, where the plane would be waiting. When he arrived at the airport, a plane was warming up near the runway. He jumped in with his equipment and yelled, “Let's go! Let's go!”
The pilot swung the plane into the wind and they soon were in the air.
“Fly over the north side of the fire,” yelled the photographer, “and make three or four low level passes.”
“Why?” asked the pilot.
“Because I'm going to take pictures,” cried the photographer. “I'm a photographer and photographers take pictures!”
After a pause the pilot said, “You mean you're not the instructor?”
The Bible says, “For we are a fragrance of Christ to God…” (2 Corinthians 2:15)
Without our instructor Jesus, we can become an odor rather than a fragrance. Make sure that Jesus is in the cockpit with you at all times. Without Him, we all tend to stink it up.
What smells good to you? When I think of good smells, I think of a baby who has just been bathed in Johnson’s baby lotion. I think of Robbie’s fresh baked tea cakes. I think of the Hiwassee River where I can sit on the river bank and smell the memory of my father teaching me to trout fish when I was 6 years old. When I think of good smells, I think of ocean breezes, spring rain, barbeque, or my mother’s fried chicken. Everybody likes a good smell.
When I think of bad smells, I immediately remember what a death ward inside a hospital in a foreign country where I traveled smelled like. I have never smelled a smell like that anywhere and I do not care to smell that smell ever again. Death is one of the most repugnant, sickening, penetrating smells you can imagine. Death is a smell you would like to forget, but can’t. The stench of it stays with you forever.
After the Judaizers did their best to stink up the church, the apostle James made a decision:
“Therefore it is my judgement that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles.” (Acts 15:19)
James made a statement that turned out to be a binding resolution which was adopted by the church. The word for “TROUBLE” means that they do not “CROWD” the Gentiles, or bully them.
It means that there be no ANNOYANCE or added COMPLICATION made upon these new converts. James said to the trouble-makers, “Stop making trouble! Trouble always stinks, so stop it.”
The photographer for a national magazine was assigned to get photos of a great forest fire. Smoke at the scene hampered him and he asked his home office to hire a plane. Arrangements were made and he was told to go at once to a nearby airport, where the plane would be waiting. When he arrived at the airport, a plane was warming up near the runway. He jumped in with his equipment and yelled, “Let's go! Let's go!”
The pilot swung the plane into the wind and they soon were in the air.
“Fly over the north side of the fire,” yelled the photographer, “and make three or four low level passes.”
“Why?” asked the pilot.
“Because I'm going to take pictures,” cried the photographer. “I'm a photographer and photographers take pictures!”
After a pause the pilot said, “You mean you're not the instructor?”
The Bible says, “For we are a fragrance of Christ to God…” (2 Corinthians 2:15)
Without our instructor Jesus, we can become an odor rather than a fragrance. Make sure that Jesus is in the cockpit with you at all times. Without Him, we all tend to stink it up.
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