The Aroma of Christ

"For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life."  2 Corinthians 2: 15-16

73. I love to meet people who exude the love of Christ from within.  It's neat that, when in the company of those who love Christ and share that love with others, I can feel a kindred spirit with them upon first meeting--kind of like a taste of Home.  Today I'm thankful to have met others who are the aroma of Christ, whom the fragrance of life spills from their souls.  How encouraging to know that one day we will all be Home full of the love and life that reflects from each other now, and ever so bright.

Giving Thanks

67. making it safely with friends and children to Chattanooga
68. being surprised by a full night sleep in the hotel.
69. my two year old saying "Chattanooga, Tennessee, YAY!"
70. an awesome breakfast included with our room.
71. finally finding a Barnes N' Noble with a train table.
72. blog writers who are gifted with communicating God's grace in their lives and are willing to share it.  My personal favorite is A Holy Experience

A light burden?

I have always been somewhat bewildered by Matthew 11:28-30.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”


Bewildered, yet impacted greatly.  Come to Jesus and give him my burdens in exchange for rest.  Okay, no problem there, I'll gladly rid myself of those.  But what comes next, "Take my yoke upon you,"  Christ's burdens?  How could this be a fun exchange?  I thought that I was exchanging these burdens for rest, now I see I am to take His yoke, to suffer?  But wait, the yoke is "easy" and his "burden is light"?  Now that just doesn't seem to make sense, from my perspective of course.  The One who suffered death for me, His yoke is "easy"?  And how in the world is any burden light?


I think that I will always be intrigued by this.  Though I do have some understanding, it still remains such a great mystery at the same time.  A hopeful and comforting mystery.


How can His burden be light?  His work was to do the will of His Father, the Creator of all things, God Himself.  Unlike us who so often work for ourselves and a lot of times against God, He worked for God.  From the beginning He teamed with the greatest most powerful Victor who promises to bring a great victory.  And now, "It is finished."  The victory is won. He has completed the work He came to do.  Now we wait.  We hope.  We look forward to His coming back once and for all.  


How can His yoke be easy?  Well, if we came to Him, then it's not really us that is carrying the yoke.  A yoke is used to bind together two oxen so that they share a workload.  If we have come to Him, we are bound to Him in the carrying of the yoke.  We are not carrying the load, He is.  We have the great honor of walking beside Him, learning from Him, talking with Him, and He carries the yoke through us.  AMAZING.


Earlier in the same chapter John asks if Jesus is the One they have been expecting and waiting for, "Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” Mt 11:2-6


I think the miracle in our hearts of Christ taking our burdens on Himself and exchanging them for fellowship with Him in His work and making the burden light might just be just as powerful as the miracles He was identified with in the previous passage.  Just the same, He should be identified clearly in us as others see this miracle in our lives.

more thanks

62.  A chance to get out of the house and hang out at Starbucks with a friend until closing time.
63.  Decaf Caramel Frappacinnos
64.  My son's personality that continues to show itself more and more every day.
65.  Believers who have gone before me and written to pass their wisdom on.
66.  Used books I have collected that I can pull off of my shelf at the most opportune time of need.

Language of praise

I've been thinking a lot the past few days. I'm not sure that this will be a very cohesive post as I don't 

fully grasp these concepts myself. But maybe writing about it will help me to process. :)

As I started to "put off" things like complaining and wallowing, I began to see that I don't have much of a vocabulary for praise. I found myself in awe of  
God many times and all I could say was, "amazing"or "awesome". Two great words, but there has to be much more to say about God and to God in the 

ways of praise. So, I want to be taught how to praise God beyond one word exclamations. I pray that 

He would cultivate in me a heart of praise that overflows with thanksgiving to Him in all circumstances. I want to be able to truly rejoice in Him at all times.

I've started reading 31 days of praise to help get me in the habit of praying
and praising God:

Here are some passages that I have been reading:

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

(Colossians 4:6 ESV)

Praise in Heaven:

[Isaiah's Vision of the Lord]

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:      

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;

the whole earth is full of his glory!”

  And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

(Isaiah 6:1-7 ESV)

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight.

(Revelation 4:6-7; Revelation 4:8-11 ESV) And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,

who was and is and is to come!”

  And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they existed and were created.”

 (Revelation 4:6-7; Revelation 4:8-11 ESV)

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll

and to open its seals,

for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God

from every tribe and language and people and nation,

  and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,

and they shall reign on the earth.”

  Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

(Revelation 5:6-14 ESV)