BRINGING FRAGRANCE TO THE WORLD

You Drive me Crazy
Originally uploaded by Ben Heine

by Sheila Walsh* for The Women of Faith Daily Devotional - 2002

 

But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ's triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. II Corinthians 2:14 - New Living Translation

"September 11 has become a day that will forever stand alone in our calendar. It is a day when the unthinkable came into our homes through the media and the unbearable  visited New York and Washington, DC and altered the once familiar beloved landscape through the brutal force of terrorism. For many is was a wake up call to the reality that evil exists in our world. For those of us who love and trust God, it was a reminder that our enemy is not simply in human form, but he is a constant spiritual reality, one who roams around seeking whom he may destroy.

When the fires were out in New York, the memorial services over. books written, and songs sung, what was the lasting legacy that God birthed out of the ashes of destruction? People turned to God to not only bless America but to heal our great nation. At Women of Faith we saw unprecedented numbers of women make first  time commitments to Christ. Perhaps we began to treasure each day a little more, to tell those in our lives we love them, and to let go the little petty frustrations of life.

There has never been a greater time to live as the people of God, to show what it looks like to know peace, grace, and love in the midst of fear. For too long in our nation the Church has been defined by what we stand against. It is time to show in whose lovely name we come with arms stretched out to love. As we will never forget this day, let us never forget that other day of utter barbarism when the Lamb of God took on himself the worst that we could be free.

Evil will never have the last say in our lives or in our nation because of his sacrifice. There will be a day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Until that day we bring his fragrance to a world that has lost hope, that has lost heart. In his name we come."

*Sheila Walsh is the creator of Children of Faith and Gnoo Zoo, a ministry to children that communicates God's love to them. She is the author or co-author of several books, including Honestly, Gifts for your soul, Living Fearlessly, and The Best Devotions of Sheila Walsh. As an accomplished musician, Sheila has recently released the CD Falls Down. Sheila, her husband and their son live in Nashville, Tennessee.