"Now thanks be to God, which always leads us to triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of His knowledge in every place. For we unto God a sweet fragrance of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish." 2 Corinthians 2:14-15

Did you know that back in the days of the Roman Empire fragrances were all the rage? They would celebrate their victories with huge parades and burn incense on the altars, which would fill the entire city with its sweet-scented aroma. Even those who could not be part of the celebration would smell the incense from afar and know their army had been victorious! This is the very effect we should have on the world around us. Our lives should be burning the sweet smell of righteousness, holiness, love, and victory! Brothers & Sisters, our fragrance should be so strong that people can smell it from afar and know that we are victorious in every circumstance through the atoning work God has already done! WHAT'S THAT SMELL?!

"But Ruth said: "Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me." Ruth 1:16-17

When Ruth pledged her allegiance to Naomi and to the God of Israel, it wasn't based on, "What ifs?" or circumstances. It was a faith rooted in her devotion to Naomi and God even to the point of death! So often, I've received emails from people wondering why? "Why this?" or "Why that?" But honestly, "His ways are higher than my ways and His thoughts are higher than my thoughts" -- and I don't have easy answers for much of the horrendous stuff that happens to us! But what I do know is our faith is not based on "if this" circumstance was changed then I could serve -- or "if this" problem didn't exist then my life would be so much easier! We tend to look at our circumstances, our problems, our status, our situations -- however the faith we're called to have is a "whatever and where ever" faith! Brothers & Sisters, let's stop looking at the "what ifs" and "why that" and start looking to the "Who" of your life! The "who" of your life should be Jesus -- and when He is the "Who" of your life -- then the rest of your life is "whatever and where ever" for your good and His glory! WHAT EVER AND WHERE EVER!

"Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him." Psalms 2:10-12 ; "Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." Revelation 5:12-13

In the beginning of Psalm 2, David points out that the kings of the earth are against the Lord and his "anointed" [Mashiach "Messiah" in Hebrew]. David recognized the true authority of God and advises the kings and rulers of the world, as well as their subjects, to "kiss the Son, lest he be angry." The act of "kissing the Son" would be one of homage to a king, and would indicate submission to the kingship of the Son. Those who are wise will do so before the Son, the Messiah, comes to judge the world! Men have often tried to appear holy and righteous before other men - but God is seeking those who will worship Him in "spirit and in truth". Brothers & Sisters, let's be sure that our worship of God is true and faithful and that we aren't trying to please men in doing so. Serve the Lord with a Godly reverence for who He is, and what His Son has done for you, since He is worthy of your worship, and... He is looking at your heart. KISS THE SON, LET HE BE ANGRY!

"The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them." Proverbs 11:3

Please forgive me for the length of this particular devotion, but it was sent in from some friends -- please take the time to read this powerful message. An aging king woke up one day to the realization that should he drop dead, there would be no male in the royal family to take his place. He was the last male in the royal family in a culture where only a male could succeed to the throne - and he was aging. He decided that if he could not give birth to a male, he would adopt a son who then could take his place but he insisted that such an adopted son must be extraordinary in every sense of the word. So he launched a competition in his kingdom, open to all boys, no matter what their background. Ten boys made it to the very top. There was little to separate these boys in terms of intelligence and physical attributes and capabilities. The king said to them, 'I have one last test and whoever comes top will become my adopted son and heir to my throne.' Then he said, 'This kingdom depends solely on agriculture. So the king must know how to cultivate plants. So here is a seed of corn for each of you.Take it home and plant and nurture it for three weeks. At the end of three weeks, we shall see who has done the best job of cultivating the seed. That person will be my heir-apparent.' The boys took their seeds and hurried home. They each got a flower pot and planted the seed as soon as they got home. There was much excitement in the kingdom as the people waited with bated breath to see who was destined to be their next king. In one home, the boy and his parents were almost heartbroken when after days of intense care, the seed failed to sprout. He did not know what had gone wrong with his. He had selected the soil carefully, he had applied the right quantity and type of fertilizer, he had been very dutiful in watering it at the right intervals, he had even prayed over it day and night and yet his seed had turned out to be unproductive. Some of his friends advised him to go and buy a seed from the market and plant that. 'After all,' they said, 'how can anyone tell one seed of corn from another?' But his parents who had always taught him the value of integrity reminded him that if the king wanted them to plant any corn, he would have asked them to go for their own seed. 'If you take anything different from what the king gave you that would be dishonesty.' 'Maybe we are not destined for the throne. If so, let it be, but don't be found to have deceived the king,' they told him. The d-day came and the boys returned to the palace each of them proudly exhibiting a very fine corn seedling. It was obvious that the other nine boys had had great success with their seeds. The king began making his way down the line of eager boys and asked each of them, 'Is this what came out of the seed I gave you?' And each boy responded, 'Yes, your majesty.' And the king would nod and move down the line. The king finally got to the last boy in the line-up. The boy was shaking with fear. He knew that the king was going to have him thrown into prison for wasting his seed. 'What did you do with the seed I gave you?' the king asked. 'I planted it and cared for it diligently, your majesty, but alas it failed to sprout.' the boy said tearfully as the crowd booed him. But the king raised his hands and signaled for silence. Then he said, 'My people behold your next king.' The people were confused. 'Why that one?' many asked. 'How can he be the right choice?' The king took his place on his throne with the boy by his side and said, 'I gave these boys boiled seeds. This test was not for cultivating corn. It was the test of character; a test of integrity. It was the ultimate test.' If a king must have one quality, it must be that he should be above dishonesty. Only this boy passed the test. A boiled seed cannot sprout.' Never!! Brothers & Sisters, we live in a society that has become obsessed with success and many show success at any cost. We say the end justifies the means. It is the tragedy of life. You see, failure often is an invitation to God to show that He is all powerful and does not need help to make us great or to bless us. YES INTEGRITY MATTERS

"And a woman having a flow of blood twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians, and could not be healed by anyone, Came up behind Him, and touched the border of His garment: and immediately her flow of blood stopped. And Yeshua (Jesus) said, "Who touched Me? When all denied it, Peter and those that were with Him said, "Master, the multitude are crowding and pressing on You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'" And Yeshua (Jesus) said, "Somebody touched Me: for I perceive that power had gone out of Me." And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and fell down before Him, she declared unto Him before all the people the reason she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed." Luke 8:43-47

Isn't it interesting that of the multitudes thronging and pressing toward Jesus, only one really touched Him? What made Jesus notice her among all the rest? This woman was desperate. She had reached the end of her rope. She had probably spent all her money visiting every doctor she could find and done all she could do to help herself in the natural realm. I think she finally realized that what she truly needed was a touch from the Lord. The word "power" in this passage, in Greek, is "dunamis". Dunamis is the word from which the word dynamite is derived. As she reached for Him, dynamite power flowed out of the Lord and radically healed and changed her! Somehow, the world has us convinced that the solution to all our problems come from it! We tend to look to people and material things to satisfy our earthly desires instead of looking to the Lord! Brothers & Sisters, do you need a touch from the Lord today? How much are you longing for Him? Let's abandon the ways we've been reaching out to the world for strength -- and determine to reach out to the Lord in faith and believe! REACH OUT AND TOUCH SOMEONE!

"And the angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valour!" Judges 6:12

Judges 6 begins with an angel talking to Gideon saying, "thou mighty man of valor!" However, in this passage Gideon isn't feeling very valiant -- he's consumed with his circumstances -- how poor his family is and how he's the least of his fathers' house. He doesn't feel he's done anything worthy of being called valiant, yet the angel still addresses him "mighty man of valor!" Gideon is not the only one who struggles with feeling unvaliant, though, is he? Even the best of us struggle with feelings of failure and defeat. But we must remember that we are part of the Lord's army -- and in the Lord's army, we do not depend upon our own strength. We depend upon the power of the Lord! We depend upon the victory that He has already won! Imagine the countless thousands of saints like Gideon who have passed away before us and now sit in heaven's glory where every tear is dried, and every wound is healed -- who have already fought the battle of life and are calling down to us from heaven saying "Fellow Saint, you can get through this thing! Fight this battle -- for we have fought these same battles in our lives and been rewarded with heaven's glory! So fight through and we'll see you soon beside us! March forward you mighty man and woman of valor!" Brothers & Sisters, the Lord stands eagerly awaits our call. He wants us to walk in His power, not our own! Let's give him our circumstances today and strive to rely on His strength to conquer them! BE VALIANT!

"Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted." Galatians 6:1

There is a fascinating true story about the Apostle John narrated by the early church "Father", Eusebius, well worth reading. The account goes that the elderly John took an affection and interest in a young man from Ephesus and subsequently entrusted him to the care of a bishop in the vicinity, and that, after a season, this young man became entangled with a band of criminals, and was corrupted by them, finally becoming their leader. When John returned after some time to search for the young man, expecting to find him spiritually well and maturing, the bishop despondently informed John of his fate. Eusebius wrote, "The apostle tore his clothing, beat his head, and groaned, 'A fine guardian I left for our brother's soul! But get me a horse and someone show me the way.' He rode off from the church, just as he was. When he arrived at the hideout and was seized by the outlaws' sentries, he shouted, 'This is what I have come for, take me to your leader!'" "When John approached and the young leader recognized him, he turned and fled in shame. But John ran after him as hard as he could, forgetting his age, and calling out, 'Why are you running away from me, child – from your own father, unarmed and old? Pity me, child, don't fear me! I will give account to Christ for you, and if necessary, gladly suffer death and give my life for yours as the Lord suffered death for us. Stop! Believe! Christ sent me.'" "The young man stopped, stared at the ground, threw down his weapons and wept bitterly. Flinging his arms around the old man, he begged forgiveness, baptized a second time with his own tears…[John] led him back and did not leave him until – through prayer, fasting, and instruction – he restored him to the church." What an awesome story! I've used this story many times when talking to the despondent backslider who believes he can no longer be forgiven. Brothers & Sisters, be an example of His love! No matter how far someone believes he has strayed from or even deserted the Lord – he can always be restored! Perhaps, while reading this message, the Lord is reminding you of a person with whom you can share this story. Just possibly, you are the one that God wants to use to bring about his/her restoration. If so, I trust that reading of the Apostle John's loving example, you've been inspired by the compassion and grace the Lord Himself feels toward His "prodigals" and moved by His Spirit to go out in faith...and rescue the lost sheep! ANYONE CAN BE RESTORED!