Thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of Jesus everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. (2 Cor 2:14-15 NLT)
Last time, we looked at who Jesus is and what He has saved us from. Now we look further at the new life Jesus saved us for and what He showed us by His own example.
Serving in Spite of Our Feelings
In 1998, Jeffrey Collins served in a para-church ministry called Love & Action. He worked 60 hours one week and was looking forward to a quiet Friday night dinner with friends. Then the phone rang and a quivering voice said, “Jeff! It’s Jimmy! I’m very sick with a fever. Please help me.” Jeff was exhausted, but he promised to come right over. During the drive, he complained to God about the inconvenience. Jimmy suffered from HIV/AIDS-related sickness. The moment Jeff walked in the door, he smelled the vomit. Jimmy was on the sofa, shivering and distressed. Jeff wiped Jimmy’s forehead, gave him his medicine, then got a bucket of soapy water to clean the mess. Jeff was concerned, but also angry inside.
Another man, Russ, came down the stairs and saw them. He said, “Now I understand who Jesus is. He’s like Jeff!” Russ was weeping, and asked Jeff to tell him the Christian message again. Jeff explained John 3:16—”For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son (Jesus Christ), that whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish but have eternal life.” That night, Russ called on Christ as Lord and Savior. Jeff was amazed that God used him to show God’s love in spite of his own bad attitude.1
I can be like Jeff sometimes. I can resent the stench of this fallen world and hate certain behaviors. Then I add to the stink with my own wrong attitudes and actions. Instead, we should ask the Lord to intervene in the messes of life and remove the bad odors with Jesus. Instead we should spread the “sweet aroma” of Christ to other people. Jesus is more beautiful and powerful than the foul smell of this sinful world. And people are more willing to listen to Christ’s good news when our loving actions imitate Him.
Following Christ’s Pattern
Our Lord was and still is 100% God and 100% human in one person. When Jesus was twelve years old, Scripture says: He grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and people.2 Christ was unique in every way and also the Example for us. Consider these four areas where we need to grow:
Growing in Wisdom
J. I. Packer says: “Wisdom is the power to see, and the inclination to choose, the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it.”3 As God the Son, Jesus was always all knowing and wise, but as the God-man, our Lord had to learn gradually. King Solomon was only human and he loved the Lord. But as a young ruler, he asked God for an understanding mind to lead the Lord’s people faithfully, knowing the difference between good (right) and evil (wrong).4
We may be knowledgeable and intelligent, but that does not automatically translate into godly character and conduct. Sometimes we can still be selfish, hurtful, and cruel. God-centered wisdom involves prudent behavior and doing what is right, just, and fair. Christian wisdom is never knowledge for its own sake, but using true knowledge for good. Nowadays we are bombarded by endless information (much of it false), but God-centered practical wisdom is rare.
We’ll explore this more in later posts, but to grow in Christ-like wisdom, we need to:
• Be born again by the Holy Spirit
• Learn God’s definitions of right and wrong
• Ask for the Spirit’s power to do what pleases the Lord
• Ask for the Spirit’s help to avoid and resist all that is evil
• Confess our failings to God and ask Him to purify us from all unrighteousness
• Get up again and get back to following Jesus and His example
Prayer: Lord, without Your help, we sin and go astray. We rebel and turn away from Your commands and laws. So make us wise, like You, and help us to imitate Christ. Amen.5
Growing in Physical Health
When the Son of God came to earth, He subtracted nothing from His divine nature, but added on a human body and soul. Luke says that Jesus grew gradually in age, height, and weight, going through the ordinary stages of infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.
For adults, much of our physical growing is over, but we still need to care for our bodies. God calls us to preserve our own life and to love Him with all our strength. This requires proper nutrition, exercise, sleep, and medical care, among other things. Our individual physical body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and God gave it to us for serving Him and enjoying life. Christians do not own our bodies, because God purchased us at the cost of Jesus’ death.6 The Apostle John prayed for his friend that he be strong in body and prosper spiritually.7
If we neglect our physical health, it’s hard to fulfill the callings God has given us in the family, work, and community. Physical energy helps us do spiritual work. The woman in Proverbs 31 must have been reasonably healthy to do all that the Lord enabled her to do. If we have physical health limitations it’s good and right to pray for God’s healing, to accept the health problems that He doesn’t remove, and to do the best we can with whatever impairments we have.
Prayer: Lord, heal us in all the ways we need it, because You are the great Physician. Let us enjoy abundant peace and security. Help us to care for our bodies and souls. Help us to honor You and refuse to be foolish. Make us physically healthy and our bones strong to serve You and others better. Amen.8
Growing in Favor with God
Christ, as God the Son, enjoyed perfect fellowship with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit from all eternity, long before the creation of everything. They are the original Holy Family who have loved, honored, and delighted in each other forever. They are always united, cooperating, self-giving, and sharing with each other.
As the God-man, Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit to do the work which the Holy Trinity planned. Christ said, “Here I am—it is written about Me in the scroll—I have come to do Your will, My God.”9 He also said, “I have come down from heaven not to do My will but to do the will of the Father who sent Me….The One who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone, for I always do what pleases Him.”10
For us sinners-saved-by-grace, pleasing God includes many things that we will expand on later, but here are few that I mention now:
• Trusting the Lord honors Him
• Keeping God’s Scriptures in our heart is necessary to loving Him
• Walking in step with the Holy Spirit pleases Him
• Praying about everything honors God
• Forgiving people who sin against us imitates the Lord11
Prayer: Savior, You were and are committed to trusting and obeying Your Father who is now our Father. Make us more and more like You. When our lives honor You, You make even our enemies to be at peace with us. Help us to keep Your loving commands and do what pleases You. Amen.12
Growing in Favor with People
“God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with Him.”13 Christ committed Himself to helping all kinds people (especially the underdogs). Jesus excelled in the fruit of the Holy Spirit and these are the Christ-like virtues we need to serve our neighbors, especially the unlovable ones. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.14
Prayer: Savior, make us like You. Give us holiness in our lips and lives. Help us to keep our conscience clear. Then if people speak against us, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life we live because we belong to Christ.15
Notes (various Bible translations used): 1 Jeffrey Collins, “It Happened on a Friday,” Christian Reader (March/April 1998). 2 Luke 2:52. 3 From Chapter 9 of Knowing God. 4 1 Kings 3:1-28. 5 Prayer adapted from Dan 9:5. 6 1 Cor 6:19-20. 7 3 John 2. 8 Prayer adapted from Jer 33:6; Prov 3:7-8. 9 Heb 10:5-7, quoting Psalm 40:6-8 (see Septuagint). 10 John 6:38, 8:29, see also Matt 26:36-46; John 4:34, 5:16-47. 11 Psalm 9:10, 119:11; Gal 5:25; 1 Thes 5:16-18; Mark 11:25-26. 12 Prayer adapted from Prov 16:7; 1 John 3:22. 12 Acts 10:38. 13 Gal 5:22-23. 14 Prayer adapted Titus 2:8; 1 Peter 3:16.