Week 4 August 2024, Devotion Part 2

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumph, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.  2 Corinthians 2:14

When Christ is our Captor, we become captivating. We drink in the fragrance of the Victor’s crown. We vividly relive His claim to fame. We pay tribute to His courage. We acknowledge that we were made one of His own by hard contest. We describe our new life in an amazingly original kingdom. We express the surprise of our satisfaction. We practice unabashed “hero worship.” By making His triumph in life and death our own, we become the “aroma of Christ.” To some it will be a “fragrance from death to death,” to others a “fragrance from life to life.”

Paul was familiar with the smell of dank prisons and sweaty guards. He wisely exercised his faith by keen observation and shrewd deduction. For all who strive to press Christ to the front lines, capitulation to the Captain of our Salvation is the winning strategy. Anointed with “the fragrance of the knowledge of him,” we are spared wasteful suicide missions. Instead, we operate out of the victory won by Jesus at Calvary. We march under the banner of Easter, armed with the firepower of Pentecost.  (Part 2 of 2)

Comment:  Boy, did I just walk into a trap!  The notoriously difficult Corinthian church that questioned Paul’s credibility is now shooting down mine. Egged on by their cranky “superlative apostles,” they would gleefully point out that this particular letter was sent from Macedonia, not from a Roman prison.  Right they are, and little do they know about “literary license” that deliberately puts B before A in the alphabet of historic events.  My hindsight spans two thousand years and I insist that Paul’s ministry to the Corinthians was only possible because the “aroma of Christ” prevailed the more he had to labor against the stink of sexual scandal and hurtful slander.  Get a whiff of the latter in 2 Corinthians 10:10, “For they say, ‘His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.’”  Paul’s second letter to them contains more autobiographical material than any of his other writings. The following passage has long stood out for me: “When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there.  So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia” (2 Cor. 2:12-13). Titus was to bring him news from Corinth and Paul’s anxiety level rose to the point of disappointing the believes in Troas.  Yes, even “spiritual giants” can claim the freedom to falter, to be fully human, to long for the comforting companionship of a yoke fellow modeled on Christ’s example.  Did He not say that He was gentle and lowly in heart, eager to give “rest for your souls” (Matth. 11:29)?  For me it now comes down to whether we at Granada Hills Pres still choose to be a Christ-centered church or a culture-compromised congregation that grieves the Holy Spirit and disheartens our leaders.  More specifically, do we pray earnestly for our pastors, show them love and respect, and make allowances for their humanity and need for the “yoke mates” of their choosing?  I’m ashamed to confess that in the past this wasn’t always a top priority of mine.  Thank you, sanctified Corinthians, for bringing me up to speed!  2 Corinthians 2