14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.16 To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?
As I was reading through the notes I took through this week's class, this quote jumped out at me. "Bread has to remain fresh to be appetizing"
I'm sure I can't develop this thought as well as our teacher did, but that's never stopped me before :-)
Jesus is the Bread of Life. When we invite him into our lives to be the Lord over our lives and the Saviour of our souls, we have him in us. So the Bread of Life is in us.
As a Christian we have a job to do. Contrary to popular belief, our job is not to just go to church on special occasions, our job is not to "be good", our job is not to be complacent, our job is not to stand on the sidelines so we won't offend anyone. As a Christian our life goal should be to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for us, opening the one and only way to spend eternity with God the Father. Our job is to be an effective Christian.
So now, let me expand on the quote: The Bread of Life (Jesus in us) must remain fresh to be appetizing (effective).
Just as a wedding should not be the goal of a relationship, but the beginning of a marriage, baptism is not the end, but the beginning of a relationship with Jesus. To remain an effective Christian, Jesus (Bread of Life) must remain fresh. How do you maintain your freshness? By attending worship with other passionate believers. By attending classes where you can learn more about God and his word. By having friendships with other sold-out Christians that can support you, challenge you and hold you accountable. By spending time alone in God's word which facilitates a conversation with God. All of these things keep your relationship fresh, it keeps you effective. How can we share the good news of God and his grace and mercy if we are not keenly aware of it ourselves?
Being an effective Christian is a pleasing aroma to God (verse 15). I want to be a pleasing aroma to God. I don't want to be stale, stinky and ineffective. My Jesus had me on his mind when he sacrificed himself as on offering to cover my sins. I want to God to enjoy the scent of me! I want him to breathe in deep just like I do when I pass the bread factory on the interstate!
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