Smelly Men

SMELLY MEN

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life." 2 Corinthians 2:14-15

Growing up my Dad was a "closet" smoker. He had surrendered his alcoholism to the Lord and had complete victory, but never allowed the Lord to take away his addiction to cigarettes. He didn't want us kids to know he smoked, so he never smoked in front of us.

We all knew that he was smoking, but to cover it up, he would douse himself with aftershave lotion to hide the smell. What he didn't realize is that the aftershave didn't hide or cover up the smell - it amplified it. By the way, that has been a real helpful tool to me in my role at America's KESWICK with grads who try to pull the wool over my eyes ... the aftershave is a dead giveaway.

If you are IN CHRIST and allowing the Holy Spirit to have His way with you, you can't cover up the fragrance of Christ that will flow from your life. No matter how you try to cover it up, people around you will smell you!

I've met so many "smelly" men in my lifetime time. I could write for days about them. One of the men whose life gives off the fragrance of Christ is my dear friend and mentor, Pastor Bob Alderman. Pastor Bob is who I want to be when I grow up. When I am with him, I am so aware of the anointing of God on his life and ministry.

I had the privilege of being at Pastor Bob's church in Roanoke for a weekend. I witnessed the love of a congregation for their Pastor and the love of a Pastor for his people. The fragrance of Christ permeates every part of his ministry.

You cannot be in Pastor Bob's presence without sensing that God is at work in his life. His personal walk with the Lord creates in your life a desire to want what he has.

How about you? Me? Is that the kind of fragrance we are giving off when people rub shoulders with us? I want my life to be a fragrance of life, not death. How about you? - Bill Welte is President and CEO of America's KESWICK

God's WORD for YOU: Ezra 1-2; John 19:23-42

Think about this: The essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea-bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind. (Clive Staples) C. S. Lewis