Great Plains Daily Devotional for 7/26/2020

 2 Corinthians 2:14

But thank God, who is always leading us around through Christ as if we were in a parade. He releases the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere through us.

The first verse (English translation) of my favorite French Christmas carol is as follows:
What is this fragrance softly stealing?
     Shepherds! It sets my heart a-stir!
Never was sweetness so appealing
     Never were flowers of spring so fair!
          What is this fragrance softly stealing?
          Shepherds! It sets my heart a-stir!

Recently, when I have walked my neighborhood in the early morning, there has been a sweet, almost intoxicating fragrance that has permeated the air along certain blocks.  I don’t know what it is. Perhaps morning glories?  Whatever it is, I know it to be something flowering that opens in the early morning, exudes its essence, and then fades away – and that it brings this lovely old carol to mind.

As I have followed the floral scent around the neighborhood, I also have been reminded of the verse from 2 Corinthians quoted above.  When we commit our lives to Jesus Christ and come to know him and his teachings through Scripture, prayer, and the practice of spiritual disciplines, we also become the means of spreading his “fragrance” everywhere we go.  Wherever God leads us we have the opportunity to share our knowledge of Jesus with others through our words and our actions.

So, how well do we do that?  Is our knowledge of Jesus spread as a lovely fragrance that reminds us of why he came to us?  Or do we try to keep that knowledge, that lovely fragrance, for ourselves?  We can show those we encounter how sweet it is to know and trust Jesus – especially (in our current reality) to those who serve us in stores, drive-thru lanes at restaurants, in medical facilities, and any other place where we meet them.  It doesn’t really take much effort – a pleasant word from behind our masks, a smile that actually reaches our eyes, a blessing for them, or maybe an elbow bump!
                                                                                         

Prayer for Reflection

Genesis 29:15-28
Psalm 105:1-11, 45b
Romans 8:26-39
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52