Smell Anything?

Nº 308

June 25, 2024

The secret to freedom from enslaving patterns of sin is worship. ... You need to sense God’s greatness and to be moved by it ... And this needs to be happening all the time. - Tim Keller

Fifty years ago, I spent my summer working at a local potato chip (crisps) factory. When I submitted my application, I was stunned by the noxious odor. The stench was a rare combination of rotten potatoes, boiling grease, diesel fumes, cleaning solvents, and who knows what.

A few weeks into the job, my nose didn’t detect a thing. I had become accustomed to the stinky smell around me.

It’s the same with life. We easily grow accustomed to the foul scent of this world and assume that’s just the way life is.

Psalm 1 reminds us to avoid becoming comfortable with, or oblivious to, the disgusting odors of this world. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2)

We all walk past noxious odors; that’s part of life. But we don’t have to stand nearby or sit in the middle of the stench. The Bible provides the refreshment we need. Stay sensitive and delight day and night in the pure fragrance of God’s word.

Excelsior,

Dan Bolin

Author & President

Refueling in Flight Ministries