My daughter’s devotional verse this morning was from:
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!
Matthew 13:44-46 NLT
http://bible.com/116/mat.13.44-46.NLT
Her immediate response was, “Money makes your hands stink. It makes your hands stink like money.”
And isn’t there such a deep truth in that statement?
And the longer that I hold it in my hand, doesn’t the smell of it, the stench of it rub off on me?
This reminded me of :
Matthew 6:24
No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
So we should ask ourselves, what is master over my life? What am I clinging to the hardest?
What do I truly desire most in my heart?
I also see the parallel in understanding that we will become more and more like whatever is matter over us, like whatever is teaching and guiding us along our path.
Luke 6:40
A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
What does my life “smell like”?
Doesn’t the “smell” of my life over time give off a clear indication of my master, of my heart, of my underlying desires?
And this question of desire is important, because the Lord has given us a promise:
Psalm 20:4
May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!
I just wonder –
How many are there whose heart’s true desires are the very things that will send them to destruction?
Proverbs 16:25
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
Proverbs 21:2
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart.
What do I want my life to “smell like”?
God tells us what He “smells like”:
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Galatians 5:22-23 NLT
http://bible.com/116/gal.5.22-23.NLT
May your life be so anointed with the presence of your master that His smell, His scent is clearly recognizable – both to you and to others around you. And if you discover that you are serving the wrong master, may you find Hope, Faith and Love in finding the narrow gate that is open to you through Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior and choosing to walk the narrow path of following in His footsteps. Amen.
Harold J. Ballinger 