scents

2 Corinthians 2:14-17 (New International Version)

14But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. 15For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? 17Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.


--do i have the fragrance of life?

Col 1:3-12

Colossians 1:3-12 (New International Version)

Thanksgiving and Prayer

3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— 5the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth. 7You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our[a] behalf, 8and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[b] to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

Romans 8:38-39

38For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

forever safe

Psalm 138

Give Thanks to the LORD

Of David.

1(A) I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart;
before(B) the gods I sing your praise;
2I bow down(C) toward your(D) holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.[a]
3On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.[b]
4(E) All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O LORD,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
5and they shall sing of(F) the ways of the LORD,
for great is the glory of the LORD.
6(G) For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar.

7(H) Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you(I) preserve my life;
you(J) stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your(K) right hand delivers me.
8The LORD will(L) fulfill his purpose for me;
(M) your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.
Do not forsake(N) the work of your hands.

one for all, all for one

1 Corinthians 1:10-17 (English Standard Version)

Divisions in the Church

10I appeal to you, brothers,[a] by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no(A) divisions among you, but that you be united(B) in the same mind and the same judgment. 11For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is(C) quarreling among you, my brothers. 12What I mean is that(D) each one of you says, "I follow Paul," or "I follow(E) Apollos," or "I follow(F) Cephas," or "I follow Christ." 13(G) Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you(H) baptized in the name of Paul? 14I thank God that I baptized none of you except(I) Crispus and(J) Gaius, 15so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16(I did baptize also(K) the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and(L) not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Gen 32:9-12

9And Jacob said,(E) "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD who(F) said to me, 'Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,' 10(G) I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. 11Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for(H) I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children. 12But(I) you said, 'I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.'"

2 Peter 1:5-15 (English Standard Version)

5For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith(A) with virtue,[a] and virtue(B) with knowledge, 6and knowledge with self-control, and self-control(C) with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7and godliness(D) with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection(E) with love. 8For if these qualities[b] are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or(F) unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he(G) is blind, having forgotten that he was(H) cleansed from his former sins. 10Therefore, brothers,[c] be all the more diligent to make your calling and(I) election sure, for if you practice these qualities(J) you will never fall. 11For in this way there will be richly provided for you(K) an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

12Therefore I intend(L) always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in(M) the truth that you have. 13I think it right, as long as I am in this(N) body,[d](O) to stir you up by way of reminder, 14(P) since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon,(Q) as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

with the one that I love

“I stopped @ the market tonight in the pouring rain. As I was leaving, a woman who worked there was coming back in with the carts she had collected from the parking lot. She was soaking wet & didn’t even have a jacket on. I made a comment to her about what a rough job she had to do in the rain. She said, ‘No, I’m just walking in the rain with the one that I love.’

I think I’m going to adopt her attitude.”

http://www.dlthornhill.blogspot.com/

Deut 8: 18

You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Psalm 25:7

Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to
your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O
LORD!

According to your steadfast love, LORD, remember me.
Not my sins.
Neither the sins of youthful ignorance and arrogance,
Nor the willful transgressions.
Thank you, God, that you separate sinner and sin.
Thank you for forgiving both what I do out of not knowing any better,
and what I do even though I know better.
Trusting you requires dealing with my sin, and God I'm afraid of
judgment whenever I draw near.
But you show a mercy that I don't understand -- you show me that your
judgment and justice are satisfied.
I don't deserve this life of trust and faith, I acknowledge my sin and
claim your mercy.

"Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God,
Your sins have hidden his face from you."
Isaiah 59:2

LORD I long to see your face.

Luke 15:7

There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

Romans 3:19-26

justified

-   by his grace

-   as a gift

-   through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

praise God!

John 14:12-14

Jesus says to his disciples before he goes up to heaven: "Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."

something I read...

"God is a God of total nonsense. And we sit and chart and graph and replay, trying to make sense out of life and the things He’s given us. We formulate and hypothesize.

But here’s the thing: we’re foolish.
God—In all His amazing love—is incomprehensible.
HE DOES NOT MAKE SENSE.

So, if sin-nature is the parts of us that are most un-holy and wrong, making sense of life can be a sin. Trying to know why is often a pride things, whether we know it or not.
We are taking God’s equation and coming out with our own outcome."

Treasures in Jars of Clay

2 Corinthians:

Several things I took away from this chapter:

"On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 3 and even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake"

^ this passage reminded me that we should not try to make the gospel falsely appealing when talking to others. We should not try to preach the "Prosperity Gospel." If our frank depiction of what Christianity truly is does not interest someone, we should still not try to distort it. (Of course, like Konny said, we should always emphasis the hope that we have in Him and the joy that comes with a relationship with God.)

"7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."

^My student NIV interprets this verse this way: "Where would you keep expensive jewelry? You would want a safe, secure place, not a cardboard box. Yet this image comes close to the one Paul used to describe his ministry: "Jars of clay." In his day jars were as common as cardboard boxes are today. The treasure Paul refers to is the incredible message of the gospel: God's good news of forgiveness and the promise of life forever. Yet, amazingly God chose to enclose that treasure in people who are lie "jars of clay." Clay jars are ordinary and highly breakable, and Paul tells us he is both. An immortal God chooses mere humans as his personal representatives."

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (English Standard Version)

The Coming of the Lord

13But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep,(A) that you may not grieve as others do(B) who have no hope. 14For(C) since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him(D) those who have fallen asleep. 15For this we declare to you(E) by a word from the Lord,[a] that(F) we who are alive, who are left until(G) the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For(H) the Lord himself will descend(I) from heaven(J) with a cry of command, with the voice of(K) an archangel, and(L) with the sound of the trumpet of God. And(M) the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be(N) caught up together with them(O) in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so(P) we will always be with the Lord. 18Therefore encourage one another with these words.

2 Corinth 1:21-22

"Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."

hmm

Amos 5:21-27 (New International Version)

21 "I hate, I despise your religious feasts;
I cannot stand your assemblies.

22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, [a]
I will have no regard for them.

23 Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.

24 But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!

25 "Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings
forty years in the desert, O house of Israel?

26 You have lifted up the shrine of your king,
the pedestal of your idols,
the star of your god [b]—
which you made for yourselves.

27 Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,"
says the LORD, whose name is God Almighty.

God is here

Luke 4:16-21 (New International Version)

16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."[a]

20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

Blessed! Jeremiah 17:5-9

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."

praise

Revelation 5:8-14 (New International Version)

8And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9And they sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth."

11Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12In a loud voice they sang:
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!"

13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!" 14The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.