In the fall of 2018, I heard a voice calling me to create a devotional that connects God’s children closer to God, closer to each other, and closer to the saints and sinners who make up the Bible. I heard it in the midst of a season when leaders who call themselves Christian were distancing us from God, from each other, and from those same stories that teach us who we are in the world. I hope these devotions offer comfort, encouragement, and deepening connections to God’s earth and God’s many and diverse children, so that we may be a people building God’s Beloved Community together. You’ll find a devotional here every Wednesday in 2019, and in other places I posted about below.* The devotions are written as if from God, and I hope I did not fail in my effort to honor both God and you in the process.
2 Corinthians 2:15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
Smells can be obnoxious and overpowering, but aromas are gentle and comforting and pleasant. My dream for the community gathered in Christ’s name has been so badly damaged so many times by people who do not understand the power of gentle compassion. But my beloved son Paul reminds you today that if you have chosen to follow my Son Jesus Christ, that you have a responsibility to be that aroma. My daughter Mother Theresa knew not everyone in the street could be saved, but those who were dying deserved to die with love and compassion surrounding them. Today I invite you to ask how you are serving as an aroma to those around you who need to be saved from something or who need compassion and love in their time of perishing.
*You can find us Tuesdays on Twitter (@DevotionalLove), Thursdays on Instagram, Fridays on Facebook, and if you sign up here, you’ll get a devotion in your inbox every Sunday!
Sandhya Rani Jha 