But thank God! He has made us his captives
and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. 2 Cor. 2:14-15 (NLT)
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 2 Cor. 4:7 (ESV)
Heavenly Father, the Apostle Paul’s words describe how we want to live and “smell” till Jesus returns. May the fragrance of Jesus and the aroma of grace be increasingly released through our jar-of-clay-ness. May we smell less and less like we’re in a hurry, proud, critical, or indifferent.
So, keep us in the place of humility and weakness, dependence and gentleness—even though we resist these things. That’s the best way for the perfume of the gospel to waft upward as an offering of praise, and outward for the benefit of others. May we be known more for kindness than rightness—more for the presence we bring than the advice we give.
Free us to love well wherever we are, and with whomever we’re around. As these Scriptures remind us, some people will experience your grace as life-giving; others will have the opposite response to the gospel. Help us love one and all alike, not giving up on anyone. Keep us believing the gospel can change anyone, anytime, anywhere.
By your Spirit, continue to slay the “approval suck” in us—our propensity to care too much about what people think. Keep our hearts alive to every good thing we have in Jesus. May our “in-Christ-ness” be more real, precious, and transforming than any other influence in our lives. Early in this new month of November—3 weeks before Thanksgiving Day, stoke the fires of our gratitude and thankfulness. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ merciful and mighty name.