The Fragrance of His Knowledge

"It is a privilege to be the fragrance of Christ by which others learn of God's life-changing power over sin."
This is one of my favorite passages of Scripture; it builds strength in my soul as I persevere in my faith. When I read before and after this particular verse, I am reminded over and over again that Paul did not write this from the vantage point of obvious blessing, but wrote this amidst and in spite of affliction and suffering. In II Corinthians 1:20 he states, "For as many as may be the promises of God, in Him they are yes..." - that is powerful! And then in 2:16 he reminds us that as a fragrance of Christ we are either the aroma of death or the aroma of life to life - that is comforting! Our lives are vibrant testimonies to the power of redemption - that Christ has redeemed children of wrath. As we live this testimony there will be some who hate our fragrance; to them we are a fragance of death; they despise our Redeemer - in response, we love all the more (II Corinthains 1:9-12).
Let us continue to encourage one another to stand firm; to live based on the truth of God's Word; to recognize that Christ is most powerful in our weakness and that we can indeed "overwhelmingly conquer (Romans 8:37)" because we are established, anointed and sealed by God according to the work of Christ and the Spirit. (II Cor. 1:21-22)
Walk in victory!
Cindy