Learning the Obvious: The God Who Makes Noses!

We all want to be happy. We all search for ways to be happy, whether it’s risking life and limb in extreme sports or relaxing in front of the TV., or avoiding conflict, or being involved in an illicit affair, or flipping through pornography on the internet, or using our hard earned cash to see, then own, the latest and greatest movie with the “amazing special effects”, or lavishing ourselves with the latest tech toys or home improvements or high definition television or trying to control people in our lives, or worrying over our lives and friends and families; our objective remains the same, happiness.

From a Christian perspective we know that true happiness only comes from Christ, yet we often miss the joys of God in everyday life either because we are so busy we don’t take the time to think about much of His awesomeness in our daily routine, or we are seeking signs and wonders, emotions and experiences outside the bounds of Christ’s revelation. We seem to have lost the ability to stand in awe and wonder of God’s glory around us every moment. To see and to savor His goodness and beauty and perfections displayed right under our noses, literally. This is what God created us for. I think it is the foundation of intimacy with Christ; to be thrilled with Him in the obvious yet wondrous.

In our Don’t Waste Your Life small group study, Piper quotes another author who observed that there are some obvious things in life and the world that point us to God and His glory, but we simply, and easily, take them for granted and miss them. One such obvious thing is the human nose. As silly as it sounds there is much to be thankful for and rejoice in God over in the fact that He has made us to have noses; Like a fish discovering his need for water.

Think with me for a moment. In our efforts to be happy and be thrilled and be amazed God created us in such a way, and He Himself is such a being, that those emotions can be and should be gained through fellowship with Him. All of what we desire can be found in Christ and His world in which we exist. It is all around us; His Glory; His displays of wonder designed to thrill us with Himself. We simply pass them by, take them for granted, look to lesser pleasures or are blind to their wonders. The human nose is one such example. The God who makes noses makes them to display His glory.

The human nose is a miraculous thing. First of all God didn’t have to give us a nose or sense of smell or place it on our faces, but He did! It’s amazing that every person has one, but the shear variety of sizes and shapes is staggering. But going beyond the fact of being created with a nose, much more amazing is the amazing creation that the nose itself is, in how it operates and its function. Think with me for a moment.

The human nose is a wonder of engineering and design. It enables life, providing precious oxygen to our bodies. Think of the thousands of cubic feet of air it provides to our bodies every year. It is lined with hairs to protect us from foreign objects that could cause us harm. But most amazingly is its ability to enable us to smell.

What a gift the sense of smell is. Think of the color and variety and depth that smells add to our daily lives. Think of the joys and gifts that the ability to take in fragrances and odors enable us to have: the calming of the sweet smell of roses; the joy of a newborn baby; the treasure of being able to smell burning wires or the warning of a gas leak. The comfort of a spouse’s cologne or perfume on their clothes or pillow while they are away on a trip and you lie alone in bed; the smell of freshly washed clothes; the childhood memories sparked by the fragrance of roasting turkey or baked apple pie; the security of the fragrance of your parents or grandparents home; the aroma of brewing coffee; the excitement of spring as you smell apple blossoms in the air or fresh cut grass.

Think of all the emotions that fragrances stir and what a gift from Christ they are. Think of how lifeless and mundane the world would be without the sense of smell. All made possible by a little appendage we call the nose and that is right in front of our eyes, literally, everyday.

Now let us ponder the deeper, eternal reality of how aroma’s and the sense of smell glorify God.
2 Corinthians 2:14-15 14But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing

Now let us glory in the God who would make such an awesome gift. Let us glorify Him and stand in amazement of such a creative, loving and detailed God. Stop and think and wonder. Learn the obvious. Enjoy Christ for who He is. Be thrilled today in the God who makes noses and aromas and calls us to fragrance the world with Himself and His glory!

blind to the existence of the sun

I can't help but think how blind we can become to the obvious. Thinking about this it seems rediculous, but it is so true. We can easily miss what is right in front of us.. a pen in your hand as we frantically ask 'where is my pen'... it is funny to some degree, but also dangerous.Think abou the obvious truth in God's Word, His direct will revealed and yet we seem to miss it so often and miss, then, the treasures of joy and satisifaction that will make our heart explode.As one author put it "They are blind to the midday sun!" Think about the implications!Blindness to the obvious, funny but more importantly dangerous. Lord help me / us to see!Oh how much we need God's grace and light!

fixing what is broken

In my message yesterday from Ephesians ch 4 we looked at the truth that Christ has graced the local church with gifts, distributed at His pleasure to members of His body, part of that gift of grace, He says, is pastors and teachers for the "equipping" of the saints.

Equipping here and elsewhere meaning - 'providing what is lacking & fixing what is broken'. we are all in need of repair, everyone of us. God in His grace has taken incomplete and broken, sinful people and saved us and put us n a road to repair for His glory. His glory being the body of Christ as a whole working properly, eph. says, and growing up into Christ.

Some thoughts were that this emphasis is on the whole and not the part... the body, not the individual. Christ is concerned with the whole body, the good of the body, not necessarily the individual. This flies int he face of our western, narcissistic, me-centered thinking... the good of the whole over my own good... others over self?! how anti-American! exactly!

another thought crossed my mind... since we are all broken and lacking in the church, and in need of equipping, could part of the churches' problem be that we come into this church thing.. this body, not realizing our need, not realizing we are broken --morally, spiritually, god-wardly broken; and as such take offense when a preacher, teacher dare exhort us from the Bible?

Now i know it goes way beyond this, into our self-esteem soaked philosophy of being American. God-forbid we should need deep fixing or God's help. We will concede our need on some levels, but only to the point of bettering our life to fill our wants and desires... or our image... God/preacher --help me have a better marriage, better kids, better finances... see the self-centered, self-esteem building root? Recognition of need here is OK because it will make me feel better or look better.

What we end up feeling is that God is here for us to prop us up and build us up... me. my , I... I have needs, I need to be a better person... do we see the narcissism and selfishness and sinfulness of this? Christ came not to build my self esteem or make me a better person, but to create a new person who glorifies Him and values Him above everything, even our self esteem and image!

Fixing what is broken will take realizing what is truly broken, not myself but my character, my heart toward my creator... that is what needs fixing!

Welcome to Treasuring Christ!

My goal is to draw attention to the infinately valuable treasure of Jesus Christ as the only satisfaction and joy of the human heart!