The devotional Our Daily Bread had a good example of seizing opportunities to display God’s power to the world on Sept 19th.  I did not read it in time for it to be included in my sermon but let me copy it here for you in this post.  It is based in the verse from 2 Cor 2:15, “We are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.”

“I knew a rancher who lived near Lometa, Texas.  His two grandsons were my best friends. We would go into town with him and follow him around while he shopped and chatted with the folks he knew. He knew them all by name and he knew their stories. He’d stop here and there and ask about a sick child or a difficult marriage, and he’d offer a word of encouragement or two. He would share Scripture and pray if it seemed the right thing to do.  I’ll never forget the man. He was something special. He didn’t force his faith on anyone, but he always seemed to leave it behind. 

The elderly rancher had about him what Paul would call the sweet “aroma of Christ”. God used him to “spread the aroma of the knowledge of [Christ]”  He’s gone to be with God now, but his fragrance lingers on in Lometa.

C.S. Lewis wrote, “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked with a mere mortal.”  Put another way, every human contact has eternal consequences. Every day we have opportunities to make a difference in the lives of people around us through the quiet witness of a faithful and gentle life or through encouraging words to a weary soul. Never underestimate the effect a Christlike life can have on others.”

 

A good word from Our Daily Bread. https://odb.org/US/2021/09/18/a-sweet-aroma