“As a pleasing aroma I will accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. And I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations” (verse 41, ESV).When we go through a period of dark times, in which period, everything seems terrible and worthless, it’s hard to believe that the Lord has something good planned for you. If we feel that we are being punished, then our normal response is to be angry and assume that we are experiencing an injustice.
But when the Holy Spirit is at work, he does a marvelous thing: He powerfully begins to work in our mind, showing us that the pain we experience is not just to make us miserable, but a disciplinary action that radically changes who we are. It is embarrassing to sin, to fail, and to have that exposed before others. But we must get our attitude above and beyond the shame and embarrassment, for these only last for a short time. Our focus then must be on the blessed work that the Spirit is doing in and
through us; to change us, to mold us into a whole new image of Christ. We will then become a pleasing aroma to God, that is, something beautiful and wonderful that is useful for His Kingdom. Praise Him today for His work in your life!
Meditate on verse 41. What is God teaching you in this verse? How are you going to respond to it?
My heavenly Father, I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, that You gather my
siblings who are lost in this world. Forgive and cleanse them from all their sins and make them the kind of people You want them to be. Amen.