The Sweet Aroma of Spring

We've been enjoying two weeks of heavenly Easter Lily fragrance in the house.
Sweet, pervasive, delightful, unmistakable.
I linger near the glass top table where the plant and its six blossoms dazzle my olfactory senses.
Amazing how incredibly pleasing this can be.

From the earliest days of our spiritual ancestry, God instructed Moses to use incense in worship.

Exodus 30:7
"and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations."

And in the new testament, Paul drew the fragrant comparison of our own lives before God,

2Corinthians 2:15
"For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing."

I want to believe that God can find something about my life that is as pleasing to Him as the pure fragrance of this lily is to me.
But as this scripture says, in Christ, we are just that.

What do you believe?

Ready to Report?

Once a month I have to give a report to our division boss.
Its very unnerving.
I report our market share and provide an overview of key wins and losses.
No matter how prepared I think I am, our boss cuts right to the chase.
There's no glossing over, or sugar-coating the facts.
With just a few well-placed questions, he uncovers weak tactics or poor execution.
You'd like to say, "look at all the things we did right," but it doesn't matter if you've missed the mark.
He knows - and I know.

Some people believe that their judgement before God will be decided on the net balance between good and bad in their life.
I'm just not sure how well that conversation is going to go...
If He wanted to, could God get past the sugar-coating to reveal everything you'd like not to have shared in that final report?
Every lie, lust, cheat, self-serving, selfish act? On balance, with eternity the outcome, have you made or missed the mark so far?
God knows - and so do you.

That's why I'm so comforted by the promise of Grace.
No matter how much time you give me, I could never deliver even close to a promise of perfection. Which is exactly what God deserves in His Holy presence.
But Jesus walks me into the conference room and says, "I'll be presenting on his behalf today - and you can direct your questions to me." His Grace and Mercy trump my life of weak tactics and poor execution. He showed his love on the cross, when he died for me - and you. He rose again, our Savior.
Thank God.

What do you believe?

Easter Moment

My Easter moment this year came while watching an old TV episode of Northern Exposure.
Maggie O'Connell's mother visits her in their make-believe rural town of Cicely, Alaska.
Maggie's TV mom is determined to have her daughter's life take a more interesting path than her own.
She uses a cliche or two to say, "be different, Maggie - be adventurous!"

And her bemused daughter retorts, "Mom - I'm a bush pilot...in Alaska!"

It's the same with Christians and the unrelenting onslaught of our "lower 48" spiritual mothers.
They visit us in our homes and schools, dressed as news commentators and professors. They shake their heads over our boring beliefs and conservative world views.
"Be different, be adventurous," they admonish. "Break loose from your conventional religious trappings and experience something truly inspirational!"

"You have got to be kidding," I retorted today, the day after Easter.

"I believe in radical Grace. What could be more unconventional than the redemption of my sin-filled life by the atoning death of a Savior, foretold for centuries, and in great detail, by prophets? What inspires more than the realization that Jesus' own disciples were willing to die as martyrs, simply for saying he was the real deal? Who is taking the bigger leap - the person who hopes their good works outweigh their bad, or the person who realizes their only shot at salvation is through forgiveness and mercy ?

"Mom - I'm a bush pilot...in Alaska!"


What do you believe?