Building on the Foundation

  As you read through the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, you see that most kings of Israel and Judah paid lip service to Almighty God, but they didn’t obey Him. They thought they could mix worship of the true God with idolatry and paganism, just as most people do today. Some kings of Judah did follow God, but not with loyal hearts. When troubles and tribulations arose, they became fearful and wandered off His path. Or, after being blessed by God for their obedience, they became puffed up with pride and forgot Him. But a few other kings of Judah truly set their hearts on God and on walking in His ways, and they remained faithful until they drew their last breath. Yet, like us all, these men, too, had their flaws. Sometimes their human nature got the best of them, and they strayed from the path until God corrected them. The apostle Paul explained to the congregation in Rome, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience ...

  B.O. What do you smell like to other people? Do you smell bad? We wear deodorant, perfume, cologne, and all kinds of other things to avoid the occurrence where someone might accidentally smell a bad odor emanating from our person. We want to smell good to others, especially in a world where the natural odor of the body is all but forgotten.  Just like animals, humans emit pheromones, and those natural odors contain information about us that other humans can interpret. Specific odors carry information about our physical health, our sexual readiness, and even about whether we are male or female.  We wear deodorant, perfume, and cologne to cover natural body odors—because in today’s world, even our God-designed scent is considered unpleasant.  But what if that effort to cover up applies not just physically, but spiritually?  What if, without realizing it, we are masking our spiritual scent in order to blend into the world? Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful fo...