God’s love
is not based on your inherit worth. You haven’t earned His love or deserved it
in any way. His love is unmerited love
and your worth doesn’t come from what you’ve done or what you look like or what
you wear. It’s not based on your appearance or performance, where you live or
what kind of car you drive. Your worth comes from how much God was willing to
pay to restore your severed relationship with Him.
If you’ve
ever felt alone or wondered if there is anyone out there who cares, the answer
is “YES!” No matter who you are. No matter what you’ve done. He accepts you “as
is” & He loves you.
God thinks
you are worth dying for. Not because of great things you’ve done, but because
of His deep love for you.
God is
almighty, all-knowing, fair, and full of love. He wants to have a relationship
with you. He’s out to get you-not to catch you doing something wrong-but to
meet you and make you part of His family. It’s not too late. Listen to God’s
call. Accept His offer. Trust in His love. Don’t step off the cliff of this
life into uncertainty-fall instead into God’s waiting & forgiving arms.
If your soul
is alone or afraid or filled with regrets and pain, you can find forgiveness
for the past and hope for the future by simply trusting in Christ for your
salvation.
There’s only
one solution to our sin problem-the sin needs to be removed. It’s like a stain
on your soul that needs to be cleared off before you can be in the presence of
God. What is the ultimate stain-remover? What’s the only solution available?
The Blood of Jesus.
God’s love
is unfailing, unflinching and everlasting; that His forgiveness is full and
free and forever; and that when He forgives, He forgets and doesn’t keep a
record of wrongs. God’s word is like a scalpel. Separating truth from lies and
exposing all the diseased areas of our sinful lives. And sometimes that hurts.
But once we realize who we are in God’s eyes, we finally have the chance to
receive God’s gift of life. And be made better. Forever.
Now, imagine
a whole planet of zombies. Dead people walking around , never experiencing true life, and not even
realizing they’re missing out. See? A world filled with the living dead.
Pursuing evil. Doomed forever. But then God came down. Jesus lived and died and
conquered death. And He offers life without end to all who believe, “No matter
who we are or what we have done.” (Romans 3:22).
A distinct
change occurs in people’s hearts and lives when they become Christians. It’s
like they’re given brand-new lives. And to God, they stop smelling like dead,
rotting corpses, and begin to smell like His Son, Jesus.
Most people
are zombies. They go through the motions of being alive, but inside, they’re
spiritually dead. They live without God and without hope in the world
(Ephesians 2:12). And there’s only one way to get off this planet alive: Faith
in Jesus Christ as your Savior.
You might
wish to pray something like this:
“Dear God. I want to be a part of your
family. I want to experience that spiritual rebirth and stop living like a
zombie. I admit I’m a sinner and can’t get to heaven on my own. I know that
Jesus lived, died and rose again to forgive my sins. Today, I place my trust in
Him and I turn my life over to You. I repent of my past and give you my future.
Thanks for being my Savior, Jesus. I can’t wait to smell more like You. Amen.”
It’s not the
prayer you pray or the words you say, but rather the attitude of your heart. At
the moment, when you believe in Jesus Christ as Your Savior, you are given new
life from God. And heaven is guaranteed. You are no longer a zombie. You can
finally start on the journey toward smelling like God.
Some people
think Christianity is restricting, boring, lifeless, dull or limiting. But here
Jesus is saying, “You got it all wrong. I came to give ultimate life. It’s what
I lived for. That’s what I offer! More freedom. More peace. More meaning than
you’ve ever imagined. If you want to experience life to the fullest with the
most possible joy, freedom, purpose and pain. Step over here and follow me. If
you want the dry juiceless existence of never really tapping into life, go your
own way.”
Jesus isn’t
here to limit us, but to set us free, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be
free” (John 8:36). Freedom, not restriction. That’s what lies at the heart of
following Jesus. The secret to smelling like God is realizing that it’s Jesus
expressing Himself through you that smells so good. As you hand over the reigns
of your life to Him and say, “Take me where you want me to go!” You’ll start to
smell more like God everyday.
If God is
your copilot, switch seats! Embrace the moment. Pursue your dreams. Live
without regrets. He wants you to experience all the fullness of life has to
offer, all the joy and peace possible. Life on the edge. Life to the max. The
ultimate adventure. That’s what Jesus came to provide. That’s what He promises.
It’s the journey of a lifetime and there’s no turning back. Are you ready to
sign on? Once you place your faith in Him, the adventure has begun!
When you trust
in Christ, a change takes place in you that will affect your choices, lifestyle
and attitudes. Things that didn’t bother you before you may start to make you
uncomfortable. Language and joking that seemed natural may begin to sound
unnatural and offensive. Why? Because you’re no longer yourself! You’re a new
and different person. The moment you become a Christian, God gives you an
awesome new identity. This doesn’t mean you don’t care about your old friends
or that you aren’t willing to spend time with them or that you’re better than
they are. It simply means you shouldn’t be surprised when you don’t “fit in”
like you used to. You have a totally new identity. You’ve started to smell like
God!
When we
become a believer of Christ, we went from lowly to holy, from zeroes to heroes.
God doesn’t just remodel your old life, He gives you a radical new one. So if
you don’t feel like yourself anymore, it may be a good thing. God is shaping
you to be more-and smell more-like Jesus!
Sin promises
to taste delicious, but after you take a bite you discover that the after taste
is sour. You end with regrets, shame, confussion and hurt, only listen to that
sweet, promising voice again, “Pick me up. I’m harmless.” Any time a sin seems
safe, watch out!
God doesn’t
force us to behave when temptation come our way. He gives us a choice. A chance
to follow Jesus. A chance to smell like God.
In God’s
eyes, showing compassion and meeting the physical needs of those less fortunate
than you is a practical way of expressing your love for Jesus. You actually
serve Him when you serve them. Always it is compassion. Perhaps you’ve seen
Him. Perhaps sometimes you thought this:
“He’s not my problem. Someone else will help
him.
I’m in a hurry. I’ll help the next I see.
Those people are dangerous. You need to keep
your distance.
What would people think if they saw me
talking to him?”
And each
time the words, “When you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and
sisters, you were doing it to me,” fade softly into the static of everyday
life. Jesus in the background. Excuses. Busyness. Priorities. Left overs.
We see brand
names on everything from jeans to computers to pick-up trucks to shoes.
Everything has a logo or trademark these days. But what about Christianity? Is
there any identifying mark or distinctive lifestyle?
“A new command I give to you: Love one
another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men
will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34, 35,
NIV.)
Jesus said
that the trademark of Christianity is a lifestyle of love. Love smells like
God.
It can be as
simple as a smile, a hug, a word of thanks, a phone call, a backrub, an
encouraging email, listening, spending time with someone, praying for or
offering to help her through a tough time, being there where he needs you.
Compassion takes different forms but the trademark of love is evident.
How do you make that kind of love and lifestyle your own?
By pursuing your relationship with Jesus, growing in your understanding of who
He is and what He has done for you, and by letting His love shine in and
through your life. Following Jesus day by day. Choice by choice. Smelling like
God all the while. Giving God, and others, more than your left overs.
Love is not a
feeling you get in your gut while you’re holding your girflfriend’s hand. That
might be nausea, but it ain’t love. Love is not that queasy, exciting little
thrill you get wherever you see her. That might be constipation but it ain’t
love. Love is not a feeling, it’s a choice. It’s a decision to meet the needs
of another person by serving his or her best interests despite the price,
whatever the cost-and expecting nothing in return. Love is a response. And love
always has a genuine concern for other Person’s best interest. It’s not like
giving away your leftovers. Love doesn’t judge others based on mere
appearances. In God’s eyes we’re all equals. Christians sometimes make the
mistake of thinking lonely people only need God. Very often, lonely people need
us.
The closer
we are to God. Like Mary or Moses-the more we’ll smell like Jesus. The more
we’ll grow in this darkened world. The secret to smelling like God and serving
like Jesus is to stay intimate with God and let the Holy Spirit direct your
life.
The people
who accomplish great things for God always have: (1) unshakable confidence (2)
unquenchable passion (3) wholehearted devotion (4) genuine humility (5)
generous heart.
No matter
what you do or have done, God will always accept you. But He will never accept
your excuses. Learn to say “Yes!” to Him. Whatever the cost. Whatever it takes.
Whatever it leads.
God doesn’t
look for accomplishments but faithfulness. He doesn’t care how many Church
services you’ve attended, how many Bible verses you’ve memorized, how many
things you’ve checked off your to-do list. What He is wondering, and what He
will ask you one day, is: “Where was your heart? What was your desire? How did
you live out my love for the world to see?”
Christianity
isn’t a tradition. It isn’t a religion. It isn’t about going to Church and
trying your hardest to follow the rules. It isn’t even about being good. It
isn’t about how you dress, who your parents are or how you act. Christianity is
all about knowing, serving and honoring the God who loves you.
When we pray
we talk to God, but there’s more to it than that is more of a lifestyle than
activity. That’s why God encourages us to “pray continually” and live lives of
“constant prayer.” Because prayer is
being real before God. That means no pretending. No acting like you’re good
enough, respectable enough or wise enough on your own that you don’t need God.
No games, no role-playing, no masks, no excuses. Be genuine, be vulnerable,
honest, sincere and authentic.
You can live
an authentic life by being:
Honest-by
keeping your promises.
Sincere-by
meaning what you say.
Respectful-by
showing that you care.
Vulnerable-by
admitting when you’re wrong.
When you’re
filled with sadness, let it overflow to Him. When you’re angry or afraid or
hurting or confused, let Him know. When you’re stressed out or in trouble, talk
to God. That’s real prayer.
Praise God
for who He is. Thank God for all He’s done. And on those days when God’s love
just overwhelms you and you can’t seem to hold in it, let loose! Explode into
passionate praise and thanksgiving without fear of embarrassment! That’s what
being real is all about.
The way to
achieve true inner harmony and happiness isn’t by earning a mountain of cash or
impressing hordes of fans or even seeing your name in lights. True harmony,
happiness and peace come from knowing your sins are forgiven and that you are
accepted by God-despite the mistakes and the wrongs you’ve done in the past.
We all have
scars. Some are on the surface. Some are in our hearts, where no one but God
can see. Deep, deep scars. Scars from those words you accidentally overhead…
from the apology that was never given… from the tears you bottled up and never
cried… from the shattered dreams or broken heart you carry. But instead of
blindly asking, “Why?”, open your eyes and ask, “who else?” Odds are, someday
you’ll met someone with the same scars. Will you be ready to help that person?
Will you let God bring something out of the scars in your life?
We honor God
when we stick with Him, trust that He knows best and remain faithful even when
life doesn’t make sense.
God will be
with you. Through the tough times. Through the good times. Through the bad
times. You may never see the full purpose of suffering in this life, but you
can honor the Holy Spirit by continuing to trust in Him even when life-with all
of its suffering-doesn’t make sense.
Are you
looking for a practical way to express your love for God? Then begin learning
and obeying His commands. God doesn’t want us to serve Him out of obligation or
guilt, but in freedom expressed through love. True obedience always disobeying
yourself. Jesus came to do His Father’s will rather than whatever he wanted.
Sometimes we
go to Church and hear about how important is to share Christ’s love, but too often
we make excuses for doing nothing. Or, we just go through the motions. We don’t
usually consider sharing our faith with others a matter of life and death. Yet
a main part of the job description of being a Christian is rescuing other
people. People drifting away from God. People who are spiritually drowning.
When Jesus
returns, the last thing you want to be doing is standing there wondering if you
could have done more to save someone. Saving someone’s life is something you’ll
never regret. Sharing with him or her the new life Jesus offers is even better.
Because it lasts forever.
God sent
Jesus to suffer in your place and pay the penalty for your sins. Trusting in
Christ as your Savior is the only way to have a right relationship with God.
Before you can start to smell like God, you need to get to know and believe in
the one true God.
Then, follow
Jesus and let Him change you from the inside out. Following God isn’t base on a
set of rules, but on deepening your relationship with Him and letting Him rule
in your life.
Finally, let
the Holy Spirit guide you into a life of purity that spreads the fragrance of
heaven throughout your world. And as you go, God goes with you. To touch the
lives of others with the aroma of His love. Out of gratitude for what God has
done, you can honor Him by taking the message of His love to the world.
To know Him.
To serve Him. To honor Him. That’s what it means to smell like God.
Serving God
is the ultimate adventure and heaven is the ultimate destination. May your life
burn with its supernatural scent! I pray that I’ll see you (and smell you)
there, someday soon!
Blessings!
From the Book:
How to Smell like God
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