From: August 28, 2025
“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. Who is sufficient for these things?” (2 Corinthians 2:15–16 ESV).
Paul paints a vivid picture of believers spreading the fragrance of Christ wherever they go. Just as incense filled the air in a Roman triumphal procession or in the temple sacrifices, so the gospel permeates the world through the lives of those who follow Jesus. Yet, this fragrance has a dual effect: to those being saved, it is the sweet scent of “life to life,” but to those rejecting Christ, it signals death (“death to death”). The same message that brings hope to some exposes judgment to others. Confronted with this sobering reality, Paul cries out, “Who is sufficient for these things?” He acknowledges that no human being could bear such a weighty calling in their own strength. The task of carrying the aroma of Christ is too great apart from the empowering grace of God.
We, too, are called to be the aroma of Christ in this world. Our words, actions, and very presence should spread the knowledge of Jesus everywhere. But if we are honest, we feel our inadequacy. How can we possibly represent Christ well in a world that responds so differently, some embracing the gospel, others rejecting it? Paul’s rhetorical question reminds us that sufficiency for this calling does not come from ourselves. Our competence and confidence must come from Christ alone (2 Cor. 3:5). This frees us from striving to make ourselves “enough” and instead calls us to live surrendered to Jesus, trusting His Spirit to make us the fragrance of life wherever He sends us.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for calling us to be the aroma of Christ in this world. We confess that we are insufficient for this task on our own. Empower us by Your Spirit so that our lives would spread the fragrance of Jesus to those around us. May many be drawn to the life we have found in Him. We pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.
From: August 28, 2024
“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” (Psalm 42:11 ESV).
The psalmist searched his own soul to discover the source of his distress. When we look inward to find the source of our soul’s discouragement, we should not be surprised to discover that we have set our hopes on something other that the Lord. Let us instruct our souls to hope in God instead!
When you are discouraged and “cast down,” you can learn to encourage yourself in the Lord as David did (See 1 Sam. 30:6). Bring your soul to the Lord. Instruct your soul to “hope in God” and “praise Him.” Have you not yet learned that a fresh encounter with God will change the disposition of your soul and therefore your countenance, putting a smile in place of a frown?
Pull your soul’s hope off its idols and put its hope on God.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we worship You for today for You are worthy. We praise You for our salvation through Christ Jesus. We thank You for the many blessings You have bestowed on us. We pull our hope and affection off of worldly and material things and put them wholly on You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: August 28, 2023
“My harp plays sad music, and my flute accompanies those who weep” (Job 30:31 NLT)
The grief that covered Job like a cloud affected even his ear for music. The harp, a stringed instrument, was often employed by David to lighten the mood of King Saul. It was an instrument used in worship and in times of celebration. Yet, to Job’s ear, the vibration of the strings sounded mournful, vibrating at the frequency of his sorrowing soul. And the flute, a wind instrument, with its light, breathy lows and clear sparkling highs, was often heard accompanied by percussion at times of feasting. But to Job, the flute had become like a weeping human voice breathing out a dirge, perhaps reminding him of the times when his children enjoyed such feasts. Grief is like that. It darkens the sights and sounds of human perception, so that the spectrum of life’s color is reduced to gray.
The book of Job helps give vocabulary to our grief. Yet we must read to the end to find hope. For as believers, the apostle Paul teaches us that we need not grieve as those who have no hope (1 Thess. 4:13). For our hope is in Christ, the One who has defeated sin, death and the grave. We grieve the loss of loved ones, but we have hope in the resurrection of the dead because of Jesus.
PRAYER: Dear Father, this old world is filled with trouble, sorrow, and grief. Yet because of Jesus, we have hope. And because of Your Spirit, we are filled with joy. Comfort us in our griefs and give us extra grace, so that we may comfort others in Your name. Strengthen us to serve You today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: August 28, 2022
PREACHING FOR GOD’S APPROVAL ALONE
The apostle Paul contrasted the authenticity and authority of his preaching team with those who preach for personal profit. The wealthy church of Corinth was apparently susceptible to the hucksters of that day. Paul wanted to protect them from these false teachers, who invariably show up to steal sheep when new believers are first coming to Christ and are most vulnerable to false teachings.
Hucksters seek to tickle their hearer’s ears that they might earn their approval and gain access to their wallets. Those who preach the Word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, do so for the approval of God alone, knowing that only God can save.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we pray for the new and the immature believers that are most susceptible to false teachers. Help them to grow in faith and discernment. Help those of us who teach and preach that we always proclaim the truth of Your Word with sincerity and authority, seeking Your approval alone. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: August 28, 2016
David addressed the spiritual emptiness of his own soul by expressing his feeling towards God. His soul’s thirst for God was just as real as a deer’s thirst for water. His psalms are like prayers recorded in a spiritual journal. They reveal the heart of the man that God Himself called a “man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22). David knew that only God could satisfy his soul’s deep longing. Many today don’t recognize this need. Sure, they feel the spiritual emptiness, but they vainly attempt to fill it or medicate it with worldly things. Yet, only God will satisfy. As Augustine once said, “Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”
From: August 28, 2015
A psalm for the soul. When you are discouraged and “cast down,” learn to encourage yourself in the Lord (1 Sam. 30:6). Bring your soul to the Lord. Instruct your soul to “hope in God” and “praise Him.” Have you not yet learned that a fresh encounter with God in Word and prayer will change the disposition of your soul and therefore your “countenance,” putting a smile in place of a frown? Reset your soul’s hope from its idols and put its hope in God. Worship works.