a fragrant aroma ...

‘Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished;

and he rose in haste and spoke saying to his counselors,

'Did we not cast three me bound into the midst of the fire?’

They answered and said to the king, ‘True, O king.’

“Look!” he answered,

‘I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire,

and they are not hurt,

and the form of the fourth

is like the Son of God.”

Daniel 3:24-25

Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego had just been cast into a pit of fire because of their choice to honor God. They did what was right and refused to bow to the world's order and their reward was not a rescue but a walk through the flames. It is one of my favorite Bible accounts of all time. It encourages me to trust God even when I do not understand His methods. It reassures me that there is a reward for doing what is right in the sight of the LORD – and not just our protection but as a witness to all the onlookers in our lives.

Have you ever felt like you have been cast into the flames? I have experienced this several times throughout my life and having been sensing it for the past three and one half years. I know it can be overwhelming.

However, I want to encourage you this morning …

To those who find themselves in the midst of a fiery trial; to those who choose to honor the commandments of the LORD, even at great personal expense to self … Keep pressing forward!

The LORD is working in ways that might not be obvious to you. He is preserving you and revealing Himself to those who watch you walk through the flames without being consumed. And there is one other thing that is happening …

'In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life. But those on the way to destruction treat us more like the stench from a rotting corpse. This is a terrific responsibility. Is anyone competent to take it on? No— but at least we don't take God's Word, water it down, and then take it to the streets to sell it cheap. We stand in Christ's presence when we speak; God looks us in the face. We get what we say straight from God and say it as honestly as we can.' II Corinthians 2:14-17 MSG

This is the verse that I read this morning. As I contemplated my situation in life, it prompted me to think about what I do and why I do it. Whether sharing messages through this blog or providing words of encouragement to a hurting or searching soul – there is a drive, a compulsion to keep pressing forward. It does not provide income, accolades or recognition. Yet it is so rewarding.

A fragrant aroma …

We are the incense of the LORD. Our life becomes an incense, or fragrant aroma, to the LORD and to others. We are bodily censers and incense all at once. We are the censers of the LORD – vessels made for burning incense and our lives the incense or material used to produce a fragrant odor.

Yet, the only way for incense to release its fragrant odor is for it to be burned.

The fiery trials we face are necessary in order to distribute the fragrance that we carry. It is a pleasant scent to those who are being saved. Yet it can be an offensive odor to those who are perishing. But that does not matter. What truly matters is that it is a fragrant aroma to God – a beautiful scent of worship.

Therefore, let us not grow weary in well doing (Gal. 6:9). Let us obtain an eternal perspective and understand the far reaching work of God. ‘For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.’ II Cor. 4:17-18

In my upcoming book When Storms Rage – 21 Principles to Keep You Anchored Through Life’s Toughest Moments, I ask the question that God asked of me several years ago, ‘Are you willing to stay in the fire long enough for someone else to see Jesus?’

Today I ask, ‘Are you willing to stay in the fire?'

No matter how long it takes, no matter the outcome... If the only way to present a fragrant offering to God and others is through enduring the intense heat of the furnace of adversity … Will you stay in the fire?

If you will – know that your faith, your trust, your praise, your perseverance and your worship will extend to the corners of the earth and will ascend into the very throne room of God ... a fragrant aroma