Philippians 4:18-23
But I have received everything in full, and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
God is not a finger-wagger. He isn’t up in heaven shaking his finger and keeping score on if you are naughty or nice. He loves you and “tells” you “things” for a variety of reasons. First, He wants you to be at peace so that your spiritual bucket will be filled. That way you will have a deeper pool from which to reach when you have to “dip” inside yourself to pull up some words of advice or encouragement to give to someone else. That’s one of the ways that you “glorify” God: how you treat people. The better you act, the better God looks because if people know that you are on the “God-train,” their “picture” of what someone who has God in their life looks like will be based on what you present. As others see the peace and direction that you have as a result of your relationship with the Ultimate Conductor, they will want to have that same sense of contentment and purpose in their lives as well. It’s all part of God’s plan. And so God gives you another strategy to help you serve as an example of your faith to strengthen your “witness” or the “picture” that you present to others. Think of yourself as a fragrance. And you know how fragrances go: sometimes you get a whiff of something as someone passes by. You might not even know the person, but as they move beyond you, you sense the sweetness of their perfume. On the other hand, they might not have such a nice smell about them, and all you want to do is move quickly away. The fragrance you give off is another way of saying the “vibe,” or the spirit that people experience when they are in your presence. So, this day, ask yourself what sort of fragrance people are sensing from you. Keep in mind that God isn’t telling you this just to get others on board His train. He knows that when your fragrance is sweet, people will be drawn to you and you’ll get a better reaction from them. So as you fill the bucket of someone else, yours becomes replenished as well. That’s why God gives us each other: for mutual bucket filling! But at the end of the day it is God who gives us the strength to do what we are called to do, and to keep our buckets not just filled but overflowing with blessings, if we just ask.
Find out what's happening in Goose Creekfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Click the link below to see my books,
"Keeping Your Lamp Lit"
http://www.amazon.com/Keeping-Your-Lamp-Lit-Schuler/dp/1451559321/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277386999&sr=1-1#noop
"Good Strategies for Bad Times"
http://www.amazon.com/Good-Strategies-Bad-Times-Schuler/dp/1438257775/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265471485&sr=8-1