You spend an enjoyable evening sitting around a campfire with friends. After your guests leave, you strip off your clothes, and leave them outside, because even after the fire has burned out, the clothes still smell like smoke. Not to mention, they have chocolate stains from the s’more you dropped into your lap.

You eat a delicious meal that has garlic in it. It sure tasted good, but long after the meal is over, the smell of garlic and the proverbial garlic breath live on. The chemical compound found in garlic gets into your bloodstream causing your skin, hair, urine, and sweat to smell as well.

That greasy spoon restaurant you ate at, boy was the food good, but unfortunately you bring the greasy smell home with you.

Before smoking was prohibited in many public places, you found yourself smelling like cigarette smoke even if you didn’t smoke yourself.

And those flowers you picked up at a roadside stand, soon a pleasant fragrance is wafting through the room.

Why do certain smells stay with you, usually the unpleasant ones? Generally speaking, whether or not a smell lingers depends upon if the physiochemical properties of the aroma’s chemical compound are prone to binding to the oils of your skin, the fabric of your clothing, or how the olfactory receptors in your nose detect the molecules.     

Not only do we smell like fire smoke, garlic, greasy food, or cigarette smoke when in those environments, we also become the choices we make. Pizza every night for dinner and a lack of exercise soon puts you in poor health. Sex outside marriage leads to guilt and shame, not to mention intimacy issues. Unwise spending habits leave your finances in shambles. We so often sacrifice “worthwhile” for “instant gratification.” And just like certain smells, our harmful attitudes and actions linger, often for a lifetime.

The Bible’s wisdom literature (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job, Psalms, Song of Solomon) teaches valuable lessons about the meaning of life, often reflections and wisdom, from those who have walked life out. Solomon, the writer of Proverbs, and the wisest man to ever live other than Jesus (1 Kings 4:29-34, Luke 11:31), ends Chapter 4 with a menu of ways to guard against the harmful odorous attitudes and actions that linger, those that cause us problems both today and down the road. We are told to pay close attention to what God says (vv.20-22), avoid perverse and corrupt talk (v.24), don’t have wandering eyes (v.25), and watch where you walk (vv.26-27).

How do we avoid those smelly attitudes and action? Right in the middle of these verses we find the fulcrum, that which all the others are balanced upon; the key to avoiding pursuits that leave lingering odors. Here is what we read in v.23 – “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Click here to read Proverbs 4 in its entirety.

The heart is the starting point for the activities of life. Staying in Proverbs, we see this – “Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path” (23:19).

So, I ask you today, are you prayerfully and regularly guarding your heart? Does your life produce an unpleasant odor or a pleasant fragrance? What smell lingers on you?

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Think back to the last time you needed to make a big decision. You most likely put a lot of thought into that decision. You might have made of list of pros and cons to see which column outweighed the other. Or maybe you did some research on the Internet. We never make “big” decisions without first sleeping on it, thus allowing us time to think through what we are deciding on. Or it could be you asked friends or family what their opinion was, hoping they would provide valuable insight. Sometimes we think and re-think and overthink to the point where we have so much information it becomes paralysis by analysis and it becomes difficult to even make any decision.

Regardless of what method you use to make important decisions, the reality is that for most of us, big decisions do not come easily, and they require us to logically think it through. French sculptor Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker (French: Le Penseur) depicts a nude male figure sitting on a rock, leaning forward, with his right hand supporting his chin, in a posture suggestive of contemplative thinking. Penseur is a noun that refers to someone who thinks deeply and constructively.    

On the flipside, faith in God requires us to simply trust Him, even when logic might say otherwise. Just let say, I know this one well! Hebrews 11:1 tells us: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” That runs so contrary to the way most of us make decisions. We want some proof, some evidence, before we finalize our decisions.

I am not saying that sound judgment does not ever have a role in faith. God created us with the ability to think and reason and expects us to use the gift He has given us. Staying in Hebrews 11, verse 19 begins this way: “Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead.” There will be times that we are called to act solely on faith because from our vantage point we do not see the whole picture, as was the case with Abraham. But based upon his life experiences, Abraham knew that God could be trusted. 

We are called to act in faith as Abraham did, and we do it from a place of trust based the knowledge we have of God’s character, based upon His promises found in scripture, and based upon experience of walking with God and seeing Him keep His promises 100% of the time.

So, today, as God calls you to His service, are you stepping out in faith, or do you find yourself with your chin resting in your hand, trying to logically think it through?

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Life is not always easily explained. There are times we find ourselves in situations and circumstances that make perfect sense to us. It is 10:02 in the morning and it looks and feels like that time of day. But there are also moments when it seems like the wrong place and the wrong time. The hands of time are once again at 10:02 in the morning but it sure does look and feel like a few minutes after ten o’clock at night. It makes no sense. Did my watch battery die?

Sometimes the reason for where we find ourselves is evident in that moment. Other times, in the moment, that reason eludes us, and we scratch our heads wondering, “Why?” Time is often revelatory, and the reason might not be made evident until miles down the road, as we look in the rearview mirror – “Oh yes, now I understand.”

We also find ourselves in situations and circumstances in which God has us there for a very specific purpose. Sometimes, at least in my life, from my limited perspective, those moments just make no sense. While we can only see to the horizon, God sees past the horizon. He sees all the way around the planet. God knows the whole story. His plans and timing are always perfect.

In the Bible we see the story of Esther and Mordecai. In the Old Testament book of Esther, we read that King Xerxes had a falling out with Queen Vashti. The king then handpicks Esther to become the new queen of Persia (2:17). And in an ongoing feud, Esther’s adoptive father, Mordecai (2:7), refuses to bow down to Haman, who is a high official of the king. Haman becomes angry and plots to destroy all the Jews in the kingdom (3:1-6). Mordecai hears of this plot and reports it to Esther, but she does not want to tell the king of Haman’s plan because nobody, not even the queen, was allowed to approach the king without his invitation to do so (4:1-13).  

Mordecai persuades Esther to help, and we read these words in 4:14 – “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?”  

Esther agrees to talk to the king (4:15-17). She begs for protection of her Jewish people from Haman’s wicked plan. The king believes her story (7:1-6) and he eventually impales Haman on a pole that was intended to kill Mordecai (7:7-10). Fast forward to the end of the story and we see that Esther’s faith and courage saves her people.

So, I ask – Are you trusting that whatever situation that you find yourself in, it is because God has allowed it “for such a time as this?” Hmm, there might just be a reason you are where you are!

I encourage you to read the entire book of Esther. It is a short book, only ten chapters. And did you know that Esther is one of only two books in the Bible that do not specifically mention God by name? However, the second, Song of Solomon, has one verse (8:6) that can be interpreted different ways, thus leading to some translations inserting LORD into the text, while others do not.  

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If you’ve ever watched Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network you know how each episode begins… “Hey everybody, I’m Guy Fieri and we are rolling out looking for America’s greatest diners, drive-ins and dives.”

And if you are familiar with that show, you also know that it begins with Fieri in his red ’67 Camaro convertible as he travels across North America visiting small independent restaurants. If you are not hungry when the show begins, you surely are by the time it ends thirty minutes later.      

Maybe you are not a “Triple D” fan, but instead, you are a big fan of grandma’s home cooked chicken and dumplings. You might be strictly a meat and potatoes person, and you don’t venture too far from your tried and tested classics. Instead, maybe you enjoy experimenting in the kitchen, trying out new recipes and ingredients. Or after a long and exhausting day at work or school you regularly dine on take-out meals, or better yet, you ask “do you deliver?” Often on New Year’s Eve we like to put together a spread of some of our favorite finger foods. The photo below is from one such New Year’s Eve, when our daughters visited us in North Carolina.

We all have different “tastes” when it comes to what we like to eat, and regardless of your food preferences, eating is a big part of life. The Bible uses a number of “taste” references in describing God’s goodness. Let’s look at one of those verses.   

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” Psalm 34:8

You might be familiar with that passage of scripture, or at least the first half of it. Without getting bogged down in too much detail, I want to unpack the verse. The Hebrew word used here for “taste” is ta’am, which means to perceive, to evaluate, or the testing of what is good by the means of our sense of taste. The word “good” (Hebrew: towb) is defining God as kind, merciful, gracious. The word “blessed” (esher) simply means happy while “refuge” (chasah) can be understood as meaning to trust in and to put hope in.

What does all this mean? When you order a meal at a fine restaurant it often comes out beautifully presented. But you can only know if it truly tastes good by actually eating it and tasting its goodness. What this verse says to you today is give God a chance, try Him out, and put all your trust in Him. And in return, God promises to be merciful, kind, and gracious. He promises to be good. 

To keep v.8 in context we must also look at verses 9 and 10, which answer the “what” and “why” questions of v.8. Psalm 34:9 begins like this, answering the “what” – “Fear the Lord, you his holy people.” Fear here is a healthy fear, not a fear that comes from being terrified. It is a fear that comes out of respect and reverence of God and not wanting to offend Him. The reminder of v.9 and all of v.10 answers the “why” question – “For those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”

So, today, taste and see that the Lord is good! And you can always go back for seconds!

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We are all identified in a number of ways. Every US citizen has a social security number assigned to them. Not only is each number a unique configuration, the nine digits also help identify you even more. The first three digits are an area number, most commonly the state in which the card was issued. The next two digits are a group number; these are not related to geography but instead to the order in which the numbers are assigned in each area. And the last four digits are the serial number which are assigned chronologically within each area and each group.

Not only are you identified by your social security number, you most likely have a driver’s license with a photograph, a passport, and maybe even an id badge issued by your employer. Military personnel have a military card, formally called a United States Uniformed Services Privilege and Identification Card.

In college, I had a picture id that granted me certain rights and privileges as well as a food services card which gained me access to my college’s dining halls. Times have sure changed, back then, both those id cards had my social security number printed on them. These days, with the explosion of identity theft and security breaches, identification numbers are most often encrypted on a magnetic strip on the card rather than printed on its face.  

If you are a follower of Jesus, you might be identified as such in a number of ways. First, you probably professed your faith publicly in some fashion or another. Other things that could indicate your faith in Jesus are also things like church attendance, good works, kindness, daily Bible reading, and praying regularly. However, those things are also done by people who have not committed their lives to Jesus, so they really are not fail-safe identifiers.

Jesus gives us one marker that He says will identify Christ-followers to the world. On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus was enjoying a meal and some private time with His guys The tension was a little high because had just dropped a bombshell – that one of them would soon betray him. After Judas had left the gathering, Jesus, just before giving the remaining eleven their marching orders (John chapters 14-17), offered them a “new” commandment, one that would identify them. Here is what we read in John 13:34-35 – “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

So, today, in a world so filled with hatred, division, and false identifications, I ask you – what properly identifies you?

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Red roses are found in both Greek and Roman mythology. In the Greek tale, the story goes like this – Chloris, the goddess of flowers, was in the forest one day when she tripped over the lifeless body of a beautiful nymph. Deeply saddened, she transformed the body into a beautiful flower. When Aphrodite, the goddess of love, saw this lovely flower, it is said that she named it “rose” in honor of her son, Eros, also known as Cupid. The tale also says that Dionysus, the god of wine, gave this flower nectar for fragrance. Other gods are said to have given charm and splendor.           

Today, in Western culture, there might not be any more enduring symbol of love and beauty than red roses. And there likely is no bigger day for red roses than Valentine’s Day. They are a way to express your deepest affection, longing, desire. Giving a bouquet of red roses is a message of genuine love. And doing so on Valentine’s Day will cost you lots of moolah. Florists hear nothing but cha-ching all day today.  

Among other things, one thing genuine love does is forgive (read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7). We live in a world that often does not easily forgive. We tend to hold grudges and look for ways to get even with the person who we think wronged us. We might not say it out loud, but we think to ourselves those words spoken by the Wicked Witch of the West to Dorothy, “I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!” (The Wizard of Oz).

Most often the person we fail to forgive is ourselves. We have asked the person we wronged for forgiveness, they have granted it, but we look in the mirror with remorse and regret, never allowing ourselves to climb out from under the weight of guilt. If you are a Christ follower, once you ask God to forgive your sin, He does, never to hold it against you. Do you believe that? Read Micah 7:19 (in context, Micah 7:18-20) and Psalm 103:12 (in context, all of Psalm 103).

The problem is when we fail to forgive ourselves, even after God and others have, we begin to feel unlovable and we spiral down a dark path from which there is often no escaping. The Bible’s overarching theme is that God loves you and is pursuing you! You were made in His image (Genesis 1:27) and He allowed His only Son, Jesus, to be crucified and die (Romans 5:8), then resurrected Him, in order to restore a personal relationship with you (John 3:16-18), one that was broken due to sin (Romans 4:25).

If the truth be told, we are more convinced of God’s love and forgiveness for others than for ourselves. Many times, we hear that internal whisper, “Yes, but…” after every declaration of God’s goodness and kindness to us. We see ourselves as unlovable and unforgiveable.       

You probably know the first few words of the most recognized verse in the Bible (John 3:16) – “For God so loved the world…” The world, that excludes no one! Sensing God’s love – grabbing hold of it, letting it fill your lungs, swimming in it – is foundational to God’s Kingdom. The truest expression of God’s character is His love. The gospel message at its core is a message of love.

In 1 John 3:1 we read this, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”

So, right now, no matter how you feel, no matter what your past looks like, open your heart and accept God’s extravagant and lavish love; a love greater than that expressed by a dozen long stemmed red roses. His love is truly the greatest love ever known.

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