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8888 Prospect Road |
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Pastor's Message
February, 2012 Dear Ones, “But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal
procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him
everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being
saved and among those who are perishing.” 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 I wanted to share with
you a devotion that I received from the Lutheran Hour. It was written by
Lauren Paschke, who is associated with Lutheran
Hour Ministries in Australia. May you have a blessed month of February!
“We all know a bad smell when we come across one. Our nose may twitch
once or twice before the full force of the smell hits us. Whether it is
rotting food, fertilizer from the garden or the hint a baby needs to be changed, our nose tells us that something unpleasant is
nearby. We may possibly sniff out the smell, tracking it with our noses --
only so the source of the smell can be identified and appropriately
extinguished. Just as our noses
recognize bad smells, so they also recognize good smells. We can usually tell
when our favorite meal is being cooked or when a favorite perfume is sprayed
or the scents of fresh rain or the seaside, from the smell that wafts to our
noses. Unlike bad smells, we enjoy good smells and do not seek to get rid of
them. Instead, we enjoy the smell and often follow our noses to find the
source of the smell to see if that can bring us further enjoyment. In 2 Corinthians it
talks about Christians being the "aroma of Christ," as they live
their lives in the world. For some people our aroma is offensive because they
are offended by Jesus and His cross. For others, our Christian aroma reminds
them of Jesus. The text is clear: God uses us to give off the scent of Christ
in our actions and in our lives as He tries to draw people to Him. The aroma
of Christ can be far reaching and it varies. It can stem from a kind word or
action; it can come in a Bible study and worship. As the Holy Spirit
molds us into the likeness of Christ, the aroma of the Savior flows freely
from us and into the world around us. When this happens, when people get a
whiff of these things in our lives, they wonder where these actions came
from. When they're told that Jesus is the source,
the Holy Spirit can use that moment to share the miraculous life, death and
resurrection of the Savior with a lost soul and bring him or her from
darkness into the Redeemer's marvelous light.” In Christ, Pastor Haugen |