“For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” 2 Corinthians 2:15

This week in my Bible study, a young woman made a statement that set me thinking.  She was feeling discouraged because she wasn’t able to serve the Lord and spread the good news of the gospel.  She has young children, tied down with responsibilities at home and felt she had few opportunities for service.  I looked at her sweet face and Christ-like demeanor and I thought of the wonderful “aroma” of Christ she is to the unbelieving world around her.  She is serving the Lord right where she is!

My friend is a young mother with four children.  Her husband is a Christian musician and he serves the Lord with his voice and guitar. In the world we live in, it’s a testimony for a mother to love God and her husband and commit to bringing her children up in the fear of the Lord.  My young friend gets her children ready early in the morning so she can attend the Bible study.  Her children are cared for by dedicated teachers who teach them Bible stories and songs.  She is serving the Lord by being herself, a pleasing aroma to Christ and to those around her who are “being saved.” Unbelievers are drawn to Christ when they see the example of a joyful spirit and a happy home.  My friend exhibits both!  She’s an inspiration to me!  It brings me hope for the next generation!

God places us in our corners to be “salt and light” in a sin-crazed world.  We have the answers to the world’s problems, but unfortunately many people would rather believe in science or other forms of worship.  It’s amazing to me that people will turn to superstition and irrational reasoning, people who are educated and consider themselves wise, become foolish in their thinking.  In Romans 1, there is a sad phrase repeated three times, “God gave them over…..”  God gave them over to darkened hearts and exchanged the truth of God for a lie!  God gave them over to degrading their own bodies, to worship created things rather than the Creator.  God gave them over to shameful lusts and perversion.  God gave them over to a depraved mind and on and on it goes.  We are only too familiar.  My friend and her family stand out as a lighthouse in the darkness!

In his writings to young Timothy, the apostle Paul encourages him with these words:  “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity,” 1 Timothy 4:12.  I love to see teens and young adults who have a living faith and are examples to the world of what a believer looks like.  They might be the only “Bible” your unbelieving friends and family see!  Maybe you have some in your sphere of influence whom you have witnessed to many times, but they have no interest in spiritual things.  You pray and pray, but God seems to be silent.  You can live out your faith to them, be the fragrance of Christ, a pleasing aroma that touches their hearts and warms the atmosphere.

As Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words.”

Your friend, Jean