Staying on The Ancient Path- Psalm 27

This is the next installment of  my Artsy-devotional video series on Staying on the Ancient Path.  Here I share what has happened to me in the last 3 months and how it’s like a huge boulder that has dropped on my path. The boulder is called breast cancer! Your "boulder" might be called another name, but it's still a boulder! Although it's large, God puts opsticals like this in our path in order for us to climb them, grow and learn from Him. God said that the path will not always be easy, but He also said that He will always be with us, strengthen us and be a light for us through the troubled times.

The devotional is on Psalm 27 when King David was hunted by the Philistines and by King Saul. Although he had a lot of people wanting to kill him, he also had a lot of people who were with him and helped him. Most importantly, he had God on his side.  I used Psalm 27:1 as the inspiration and quote for the page.

     "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

As I started making the page, it was all impromptu. I really didn't know what to do. But, as I started, it all flowed out and I end up making a pocket and putting the verse on a bookmark type card to insert in the pocket to remind me that if I have God in my back pocket, I don't have to be afraid!

Start of Think on These Things art journal book

The Fragrance of Christ

" But thanks be to God! For through what Christ has done, he has triumphed over us so that now wherever we go he uses us to tell others about the Lord and to spread the Gospel like a sweet perfume.  As far as God is concerned there is a sweet, wholesome fragrance in our lives. It is the fragrance of Christ within us, ..." (2 Corinthians 2:14-15a -New Living Translation for better understanding.)

I have been using essential oils now for the last year or so.  I love to be able to use these oils to naturally support me in many ways, both emotionally and physically.  For example, if I need some calmness, I drop some lavender and other oils in a diffuser and it fills the room with a wonderful aroma that just melts all the stress away. Each one has special uses and smells. Whether to create calmness, or to purify the air, each oil has special qualities.  There are many options. 

When I read this verse I instantly thought, wow, we can be a diffuser for Christ!  When we walk into a room or converse with someone, they should be able to sense that we are followers of Christ, both in our manner and conversation.  I have sensed this many times when meeting new people. 

What is the Fragrance of Christ?

1.  To walk in Love:

"And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour. (Ephesians 5:2)

2.  To be a person of prayer:

In Exodus 30:34-35 it tells us what spices were used for the incense altar in the Tabernacle where the priest would pray.  Frankincense was one of those ingredients.  Among other benefits, it promotes a spiritual and meditative connectiveness.  It was a sweet smell before the Lord. 

"And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray:..."  (Matthew 14:23a)

3.  To be humble and obedient:

"And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Philippians 2:8)

4.  To be meek and gentle:

"Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ,..."                            (2 Corinthians  10:1a).    

5.  To be a light:

"I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8:12)

These are only 5 of many fragrances of Christ that we could follow.  Just like the essential oils that you could use,  each one is worthy of further study so that we can effectively diffuse the fragrance of Christ where ever we go.

Treasure in Earthen Vessels

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 

2 Corinthians 4:7 

(Read 2 Cor. 4:1-7)

I recently saw a demonstration on pottery where the artist said,

”I like to play with dirt!”

Never really thought of pottery in that term before…

Peter with the pottery restoration.

Today, pottery is so beautifully finished with glazes of different colors and styles.  The pieces can last for many years. But, in ancient times, clay vessels were used much like we use paper plates today.  Used once, then thrown away. Very little value, if any, was put on them.  Today, archaeologist find volumes of pottery shards on their digs. Very rarely they’ll find a clay pot in tact.  My husband participated in a dig where he found 3 Roman pots in tact! He was the star for the day! Everyone stopped their digging and came over to see!  They let him hold it and take pictures with it.  But, they wouldn’t let him keep them!  Shards, on the other hand, were plentiful. After making sure there was no significant inscription on them, he was permitted to take some home. Part of his training was pottery restoration.  It’s like working an ancient jigsaw puzzle with shards to reconstruct the pottery.   Unique pieces got a place in the museum showcase.  All others were stored away, rarely to be seen.

In this passage we are pictured as earthen vessels (clay pots); made of dirt, cracked, humble and ordinary. Not a likely place to store a treasure.  Yet, God, who created the light to shine from the darkness, has chosen to shine the light in our hearts and to use us to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory and the gospel of the Lord Jesus to others who are still in darkness.  What a treasure!

Our human weakness is not a barrier for the power of God.  God uses ordinary people.  It is because we are blessed with this wonderful treasure that we should have boldness and confidence to live for the Glory of God.

Note:  Thoughts inspired by a sermon on “God’s Glory in our Witness” by Dr. Erwin Lutzer of Moody Memorial Church in Chicago. 

Proverbs – God’s Wisdom Book

Proverbs 1:7- “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

While driving, I obey the rules very well, but when I know there is someone in authority, like a policeman, watching me, I tend make an extra effort to stay way within the speed limit. It’s the same feeling, but much more when speaking about the fear of the Lord. Just knowing that God is there; that He is the creator, is ever watchful and we will someday have to answer to Him for our lives, should cause us to respect Him for who He is and want to please Him. By studying His word, we can learn how. The Book of Proverbs gives us a good basis to follow.

Proverbs is a Godly wisdom book. We are to use it as a guidepost for our lives. It helps us to follow a wise way to live the Christian life and be a testimony of God’s work in us. It also helps us to make wise choices in our moral life, our relationships and with our responsibilities. The proverbs in this book are not to be used as incantations for selfish gain, but rather as principles for skillful living so that in due course, it will be well with us. It gives us God’s wisdom to maneuver through life’s difficulties and challenges that are ever present.

It isn’t important enough to have knowledge and a good education, it’s more important to have the wisdom to be able to use that education. Computers have an abundance of information but only us humans have the ability to have the wisdom to use that information for good.

Eph 5:15-17 says, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” As a follower of Christ we are to walk soberly, knowing that God is there. Proverbs helps us to know how to do that.

A “must read” book to understand the book of Proverbs is: “Be Skillful,

Tapping God’s Guidebook to Fulfillment”, by Warren W. Wiersbe