Thought for September 5

 History:

• 1651: Obadiah Holmes is whipped in Boston for privately teaching Baptist views
• 1698: Peter the Great imposes a tax on beards
• 1836: Sam Houston elected President of the Republic of Texas
• 1885: First gasoline pump delivered to a dealer [Ft. Wayne Indiana]
• 1906: First legal forward pass in American football--St. Louis University v. Carroll College
• 1953: First privately operated atomic reactor--Raleigh NC
• 1957: Jack Kerouac publishes "On the Road"
• 1958: Doctor Zhivago published in the US. For Christmas one year Jan suggested my parents give me the VHS of "Dr. No". they misunderstood and I received the video of "Doctor Zhivago". 
• 1966: Jerry Lewis' first Muscular Dystrophy Labor Day Marathon--raises $1 million
• 1975: Squeaky Fromme attempts to assassinate President Ford
• 1976: "The Muppet Show" premiers
• 2019: Erramatti Mangamma gives birth to twins at age 74
• Born: Louis XIV [Sun King], Jesse James, Paul Volcker [Federal Reserve], Bob Newhart, Bill Mazeroski [homered to win 1960 World Series], Raquel Welch, Freddie Mercury, Michael Keaton, Willie Gault [Vol], Brad Hopkins [Titan], 
• Died: Suleiman the Magnificent, Crazy Horse, Gert Frobe [Goldfinger], Mother Teresa, Allen Funt [Candid Camera], Dr. James Kennedy [Evangelism Explosion], Phyllis Schlafly, Hugh O'Brian [Wyatt Earp], 

Thought:

How often do you turn to Leviticus for your daily Bible reading? Well, I'm sure I am the same way--almost never unless it is part of a read through the Bible exercise. In looking a verses and words that have special meaning, today I am thinking about a term used 42 times in Leviticus [NASB], "soothing aroma." In Leviticus, we have the description of the various sacrifices offered to the Lord. In most cases, the scripture tells us that the burning sacrifice resulted in a "soothing aroma" to the Lord. [1:9, 13, 17 for example]. The first time this phrase is encountered in the NASB is in Genesis 8:21 where Noah builds an altar after the flood subsides and offers one of each of the clean animals as a sacrifice and offering to the Lord. When the Lord smelled the soothing aroma, He promised never to again destroy every living thing again. In my mind, we have a picture of the sacrifice and worship of man rising up as an aroma to the Lord and soothing His anger at our sin. 

This took me to Ephesians 5:2, "walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma." This birds and animal sacrifices of the Old Testament rose as soothing aromas to the Father. Jesus, the sacrifice for our sin, rose up as a fragrant aroma to the Father, atoning for my sin and yours. 

Then I turned to 2 Corinthians 2:14-16, "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life."  Jesus' sacrificial life and death rose up to God as a fragrant aroma. Now, our lives are to be so filled with Christ that the aroma rises sweetly to the Father. And not only that, Christ in us should provide an aroma of life to those around us--some drawn by that aroma into life everlasting, while to some, they hold their noses and refuse to find life. 

Left with the question--how do I smell this morning? Does God smile at the aroma? Do others sense the presence of Christ when I walk by? Lord, may the aroma of my life rise up to You as a fragrant, soothing aroma today.

Blessings

Larry