Bad Smells Repel

When you think about it, the people we hate are the people God loves. Yes, God does not hate who we hate and if He did, wouldn't that be the antithesis of John 3:16? Our Devotional Team sets us on the right path with this week's topic, "Peace Among the Saints." Meditate on these Scriptures and be encouraged by our Devotional!

Have you ever opened the trashcan in your kitchen, and half a second later experienced a direct assault upon your olfactory nerve? You’ve heard of it—the sensory nerve that conveys our sense of smell. Before you can grab hold of your nostrils and go, ‘WHOO!!,’ your brain announces, “The funk-masters” have ARRIVED! Throw that OUT!” Are such “attacks” always under our control? YES, they are actually, if we remain attentive to how we discard foods or liquids that we do not want to be diffused like some rogue stink bomb throughout our kitchen later on!

We walk in godly wisdom when we remember that attitudinally, bad “smells” (i.e., attitudes of unforgiveness or resentments, factiousness, and all that accompanies such ungodly heart conditions) REPEL others, MISREPRESENT Christ, THWART our spiritual growth, and GRIEVE the Holy Spirit. Have we forgotten that the righteous—those whom Scripture says are rightly related to Christ—are commanded to cultivate peacefulness [Matthew 5:9; Hebrews. 12:14]? Conciliation really does pacify great offenses. We can forget such truths when we walk about on automatic pilot, spiritually, and therefore behaviorally speaking.

We Christ followers should be walking epistles that demonstrate the excellence of what James 3:17 calls “wisdom from above.” Such attributes in godly souls are described as being “peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits.” Of a certainty, we cannot control or navigate what others think, say, or do; but we can resolve to obey today’s title verse—as much as it depends on us, be at peace with all people; be our Lord’s ambassadors of peace! Others will take notice, and more importantly, it causes our Lord to rejoice over us [Zephaniah 3:17]! Should not we who profess to know the Prince of Peace desire to uphold our end by walking in the same?

Prayer: Dear Abba, please refresh our resolve to be “imitators of God as dear children,” who desire to walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering, and a sacrifice to God for a sweet- smelling aroma [Ephesians 5:1]. Thank You, in Jesus’ incomparable name! AMEN.
Sis. Denise Diggs