All In
She could smell them before she even came in the door.
She loved visiting her grandmother. Her Nanna. Nanna made the best homemade chocolate chip cookies! Ever. Seriously. There was just something about them that put them far and above any other chocolate chip cookie…or any other cookie, in her opinion.
As she came in and made her way to the kitchen, she could see her grandmother working at the counter sifting flour into a large bowl. Dainty white clouds floated in the rays of sunshine coming through the window like pixie dust. Rich scents filled the kitchen and made her heady…vanilla, butter, chocolate. Heat from the oven warmed the air as the fragrant aroma of baking cookies wafted through every room in the house.
“Set your things down in the parlor and come and give me a hug!” Nanna said. Her tummy rumbled with hunger, though it wasn’t mealtime, as she obeyed. As she wrapped her arms around her most favorite person in the world she shot up a quick prayer of thanks. One, for the opportunity for yet another visit, and two for chocolate chip cookies! She chuckled to herself.
“I know what you’re thinking” her Nanna said. “And I’ll join you!”
They both sat down at the kitchen table and grabbed a couple of napkins from the holder. A tray of cookies was already on a cooling rack ready to be sampled. She put two large cookies on Nanna’s napkin and took two for herself. They each held one up, toasted to each other, then bit into the thick soft center of the still warm cookie.
They suddenly looked at each other.
Something wasn’t right.
“Oh my heavens!” Nanna cried, spitting the cookie out of her mouth and onto the napkin. “That is awful! Spit it out sweetheart!”
She was happy to oblige.
“My Lord, what in the world did I do?!”
“Nanna, did you forget something? Did you leave something out?” she said.
Something definitely wasn’t right. The cookies tasted…off. Way off. Almost like cardboard. Something definitely had been left out.
“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.”
2 Corinthians 2:15-16a
Having the right ingredients changes everything. Having the best ingredients keeps people coming back for more. All of the ingredients have to be in. All of them.
All in.
How do we know that the kingdom of God is in us and that we are actually moving the kingdom forward? By seeing your life from the standpoint that you are never disengaged, never a bystander, never indifferent or unconcerned. That you are a kingdom citizen, kingdom minded, with kingdom dreams. Advancing the kingdom in all areas of your life. And that you take the hands of those around you, lead them to the feet of our Lord and Savior and say, “I’d like to introduce you to someone.”
When we are one with Christ, everything is different. We have those quality ingredients. God changes the inside of a person. And when the inside is changed, the outside shows the results of that change.
Just like the cookies. All the ingredients need to be in to make a fantastic, melt-in-your-mouth, can’t-eat-just-one, coming-back-for-more, chocolate chip cookie. All in.
Or let me put it another way. Think about this…are you leaving some things out?
“I don’t really need to have a quiet time do I? I mean, I’m under grace, right?”
“I know I said I would put them on my prayer list, but I just didn’t get around to it this week.”
“I’ll start reading my bible on a regular basis real soon. I do read every Sunday in church. That’s something.”
“I know we need to attend our small group more regularly, but other things just seem to come up.”
When others “taste” your life will they notice that something is missing? Or are you the fragrant aroma that draws people in so that they can taste and see that the Lord is good?
Dear Father. I want to be someone that makes others curious about You. When others see me, I want them to notice something different…something that draws them in. And when they do, give me the words to say that will send them to You! Help me to be the “fragrant aroma” of Christ! Amen.
