"The Breathalyzer"
2 Samuel 18:1-19:10a
John 20:1-31
Psalm 119:156-176
Proverbs 16:14-15
What does your breath smell like right now? How's that for a great thought for the day? Our breath actually tells a lot about us. It can reveal what we just ate. My mother-in-law used to make a spaghetti sauce that seems like for every pound of meat you put in a pound of garlic. You know for a couple days that you ate that! Impurities actually come out in our breath as well. As we sleep there are impurities in our body that are released, and manifest themselves in some pretty amazing odors in the morning.
When pulling over a driver who is suspected of drinking, the police give the breathalyzer. It determines whether or not an individual has been drinking too much. I have no experience in this matter, but I believe it's a test you can't beat. Your breath reveals what you've been doing. Once I had a meeting with a young engaged couple. They looked lovingly into each other's eyes. Then she blew into his face, "I ate your favorite... dill pickle chips..." I guess romance is in the eye of the beholder...
The verses that captured my thoughts this morning are from John 20. Jesus has died and has risen. He's already appeared to Mary in the garden.
"That evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors, in fear of the Jewish leaders, when suddenly Jesus was standing there among them! After greeting them, he showed them his hands and side. And how wonderful was their Joy as they saw their Lord!
"He spoke to them again and said, 'As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.' Then he breathed on them and told them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'" (John 20:19-22)
Jesus breathed on them. Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. It was on his breath. We need to connect a few dots here to our own lives. First, notice that receiving the Holy Spirit is connected to being sent. We all have a purpose. We have a mission to reach our world for Christ. We must fulfill this mission in the power of the Holy Spirit, not in our own strength. We need to be in a position of receiving the Holy Spirit. We must accept the gift he has given us. Let him fill us, refresh us, renew us, and empower us.
The other thought is that we should have the Holy Spirit on our breath. OK, there's no actual Holy Ghost mouthwash that we can use to obtain this, but It should be our desire that every word we speak is given under the direction of the Holy Spirit, and that our minds have been so transformed that our actions and our words exude the fragrance of Christ.
The only way to get to this point is to die to the flesh. We have to submit our lives to his transforming power and the refining process. It isn't easy when death is involved. We need to be a "Dead Man Walking" just as Christ was. He defeated the power of death. He defeated the sinful nature. He walked in victory.
Smell like Christ today!
Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!
P Greg
Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship
Relationships Devoted to Unity
Empowered Through Biblical Training
Active Ministry Involvement
Mission to Reach our World for Christ
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