GOOD PERFUMES CAN BE RECOGNIZED AS BEAUTIFYL AROMAS. 
CHEAP PERFUMES HURT OUR NOSES.


‘You stink pretty,’ an Aussie larrikin paid a compliment to his wife.
For some people wearing perfume continually is their signature.  They are recognized by that particular perfume even if they cannot be seen.
Ancient Egyptians used perfume believing it was the sweat of the god Ra.  I suppose the Egyptians might have had a point because people working and moving in the sun can’t help but sweat and smell.
Ann Hamilton points out that each of us has a unique odor and as individual as finger prints or retina markings. Ann suggests that in Isaiah 11: 3, we will be judged not by sight or sound but by smell, ‘he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes or decide by what he hears with his ears.’
How many times have we heard, ‘don’t show fear because the animal will sense it and attack. Stay calm and it will move away.’  I can’t help feeling that the phrase, ‘delight in fear,’ could be that the Lord delights in our fear or awe of him and he recognizes each of us by our odor of awe which is our signature.

I am not a perfume person.
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I have been given gifts of scent but they sit in my cupboard unused. Maybe my husband can identify my personal aroma, for it seems we all have a certain odor, especially if we haven’t bathed for a while.  Wearing perfume is not important to me as my signature or identification.
I much prefer to be known by the fragrance of Christ that I exude. As is quoted in 2 Corinthians 2: 15 for we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ.’  How can I be so arrogant as to claim that I exude the aroma of Christ?  Simply because Christ lives in me.  Remember the scripture? ‘It’s no longer I that lives but Christ who lives in me.’ Gal. 2: 20. Dare you say that you are not a child of God?  Dare you say that you do not exude the aroma of Christ? 
Everything about Christ, his character, his personality, his very being and above all his sacrifice for you and I was a pleasing aroma to his Father. ‘This is my son in whom I am well pleased,’ God, the Father declared.

A NEW FRAGRANCE

The aroma of our service, the aroma of our good living, the aroma of how hard we are trying to be a Christian is a stink rather than a sweet fragrance.  It is the aroma of Christ that God is searching for. 
The aroma of Christ in us is all God wants, When God gets a whiff of Christ in us, and he knows we are one of his, one of his children.
Christ in us is our fragrance, it exudes from us, we don’t have to work to set it free, we just have to be and everyone will know our particular aroma is Christ.
 But to all who have received him--those who believe in his name--he has given the right to become God's children … (John 1:12).

​GUEST WRITER

​A WORD OF CAUTION
by BRONWYN BATTY

I heard an interesting testimony from a well-known prophetic preacher, Bob Jones, of a near death experience that he had.  The only question Jesus asked him was, ‘Did you learn to love?’
 
Our society places a high value on certificates and degrees, but was it not love that took Jesus to the cross?  But to truly love others begins with our love for him.  Jesus loving gave Peter the third degree in John 21: 15 -17, when he asked him, ‘do you love me?  Then feed and shepherd my lambs and sheep.’ 

​Another powerful scripture revealing this truth is in the gospel of John: ‘Beloved, let us love one another, for love springs from God: and he who loves (his fellowmen) is born of God and is coming progressively to know and understand God.’  God manifests his love to us by the sacrifice of his son. 

I saw a wonderful story on TV, of a man who is taking care of his sick wheelchair bound wife.  His love for her was very strong and intense; the love seemed to drip from him like drops of water from a water carrying sachet, trickling over her as they went out onto the streets in a specially made bicycle.  He calls her his Princess.  Her daughter made a tiara, which was placed on her helmet for the ride.  That man has learnt a lot about love. 

​I am reminded of the helmet of Salvation which Jesus has provided for us because through Jesus going to the cross and the crown of life.  Jesus has promised to place on the heads of those who have loved him!  2 Timothy 4:8 ‘As to what  remains, there is laid up for me the victor’s crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me and recompense me on that great day – and not to me only, but to all who have loved and yearned and welcomed his return.’ 

I have read a sad testimony by the only son of a very rich Australian business man who has passed away.  All his life, the son had been longing for his Dad to tell him he loved him.  Well, in the final twenty four hours, the father told this son in a telephone call, that he loved him and was proud of him!
 
How much better, to learn the importance of love while we are on the GO in the land of the living, rather that when we face the red STOP sign at the exit.
 Bronwyn Battye

This is an excerpt from the Book THE MAVERICKS ROUNDUP.
It is one of the many instances that served to shape Bruce Leane’s early life. It is incidents like these that matured and prepared him for the Christian ministry later in his life.
CHAPTER 10
A LOT OF BULL
‘What are you doing today, Bruce?’ Linc Parkin called up one day.
‘What do you want done?’ I asked. I needed some ready cash.
‘Bruce, come and give me a hand to load up a bull.  I’ve got to go down to a property at Nangkkita and pick it up.’
When we got there the bull was in the yard, snorting and pawing the ground and charging the rails. The trouble was the truck was 30 – 40 metres away backed up to a heap of dirt with the ramp on the truck lowered so we could load the bull.
‘I’ll have to lasso the bull, ‘Linc said. ‘But I don’t have a long enough rope.’
‘Why don’t you join all the ropes together? They might be long enough then,’ I suggested handing a bundle of ropes to Linc, which he proceeded to join.
‘Blast,’ he swore. ‘They still won’t reach from the yard to the truck.’

LINK GET'S AN IDEA
​Linc looked at me with a gleam in his eye, ‘Bruce, we’ll hitch the rope to the bull and you run the ropes out as far as they will go and when I let the bull out, run like hell for the truck and put a hitch around the rail on the truck then get behind the truck wheel for safety.’
‘That’s not a very good idea,’ I protested. ‘What if – ‘but I didn’t get to finish the sentence because Linc proceeded to undo the gate.
I’ve never found out how fast ‘like hell’ is but I certainly must have exceeded it because when the bull caught sight of me at the end of the rope he charged and I ran. I won!
The bull rammed the back wheel, getting its horn caught in the truck chassis, tearing off the horn.  It didn’t help the bull’s temper one little bit. As for me… I was shaken but safe.
‘Bruce, shorten the damn rope,’ cussed Linc, as I struggled to take up the slack rope.
‘It’s all right for you, standing out there yelling orders,’ I shouted, struggling with the rope. With more puffing and cussing, the bull was in the truck and we returned to Linc’s property. 

The botanical name for these honey eaters is (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae). . The New Holland Honeyeater is black and white with a yellow patch on their wing and along the edge of their tails. These birds have a small white patch around their ear, white eyes and have small whiskers near their bill. Baby New Holland Honeyeaters look very different and are brown with grey eyes.  The long, curved beak these honeyeaters have are perfect for reaching deep into a flower to get to the sweet nectar inside. 
These honey eaters were dubbed New Holland Honey Eaters by the Dutch explorers who were the first to reach the shores of Australia. 

THE FIRST
Because these little birds were so plentiful and energetic, it was decided to name them after the Dutch homeland; New Holland Honey Eaters.  Phylidonyris novaehollandiae have a history of being the first birds to be named by Europeans.
As I write this article, I am watching one of these birds visiting each Grevillea flower and drinking in the nectar.  A larger bird of the honey-eater family is also working the flowers. The bush itself is aquiver with these birds all intent of feasting on the nectar.
My husband and I get so much pleasure from observing these birds, they have so much character.

PLEASANT WORDS
There is a verse in Proverbs about honey.  ‘Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.’
I am reminded that God’s Word is like honey,  sweet to the heart and mind and healing to body and soul. God ministers to us through his word and through Jesus the living Word.
Jesus came to bind up the broken hearted, proclaim freedom for captives and release those who feel imprisoned.
Jesus is the honey, the sweetness, the healing to our stressed hearts and minds. We need to reach out and commit to him with all our heart and allow him to turn our lives around. We will taste his sweetness, we will be satisfied just as the honey eaters. We will be energized as are the little birds.  

​THE SWEET LIFE
The little birds have to search for the sweetness; God says, ‘if you search for me you will find me’. Perhaps you think you have searched for God and didn’t find him. You need to search wholeheartedly. Search not with the idea of testing to see if God is there but commit to a real full scale search – you will find God and be rewarded.  Through Jesus his son you will taste the sweetness of life. 

lCOMPARE THE PAIR

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When it comes to something precious gold and faith are opposites. 
They don’t compare.
Gold is precious and solid. We can see it, hold it, smelt it and shape it into jewellery, adornments, crowns, utensils.
Faith can’t be seen or held but it can be used to create miracles and change lives even move mountains. Faith is insubstantial.
Gold and faith are both important for our well-being here on earth and in eternity.
Gold can’t be carried with us into eternity but faith secures eternity.  Gold provides for us here on earth but just how well depends on how hard we work or even how good we are at obtaining it by fair means or foul means.
Faith can also provide for us here and now and it also depends how strong our faith is and what we place our faith in. If we place our faith in our self we might not succeed then again, we can succeed very well.  If we place our faith in a living, loving, God we will do very well. Perhaps not in the conventional way but God has his unique way of providing and caring for us in answer to our faith.

​DIGGING FOR GOLD
Gold is prospected for.  It must be worked for. Hard work is need to acquire it.  Many men have died looking for the ore and dreaming of a mother lode that will make them rich.  Many people devise schemes to rob us of our hard earned cash and we slave at daily jobs to earn an honest buck. There is always the drive to obtain as much gold as we can for our old age and for the good life as depicted on the TV.  Gold in quantity gives us a life of ease, we can indulge our every whim, and please ourselves where we live and how we live.
Faith too, is a gift from God.  Faith is not given lightly, it has to be searched for.   According to our perseverance in our search, the depth of our search and an accepting of Jesus Christ’s death on our behalf, depends on whether faith grows within us.  God has said that without faith we cannot please him.  God has also said that he rewards those who seek him.  There is just one condition though, our search must be wholehearted, and we must be totally committed to searching. We will be rewarded for our search and will find God. 

FAITH IS HELD IN THE HEART.
Faith is ethereal it has no substance as does gold.
​But faith is rewarded with that which is substantial; the rewards of faith can be seen and held and enjoyed. When God sees our absolute faith in him, his blessings will flow as in provision, inner peace, and inner joy. God has said he is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we ask or think and this is true when faith is totally placed in him.
Gold has to be left behind when we leave this world. Faith carries us into eternity.  Faith in God now ensures we have eternity now and after we depart this life. Whereas, gold never ensures eternity now or ever.
A wholehearted faith in a living, loving God enjoying his presence is a life of fulfilment. Whereas, life spent wholeheartedly seeking gold, loving gold, enjoying gold only satisfies for the moment.  When that pleasure is fulfilled we are looking for the next great moment to be bought with gold.  Faith’s great moments last, because faith is in a relationship with God, a person. An intimate relationship with God by faith.  

​CAN’T BE BOUGHT
 
How much gold we amass here on earth will not cut it with God. 
God is not impressed by our efforts to gain gold, or how much good we do with our gold.  Faith, on the other hand, impresses God and he opens his heart to us.  Our faith allows God to execute his plan for our life, our faith in him causes his Spirit to birth and live within us.  We are then, his children, wholly and solely. Faith causes us to depend on God for everything. God, when he sees our dependency, is overjoyed and rewards us. We must realize that God’s provision does not come as a reward for our efforts but is a reward for our faith.
Gold can be taken from us, down turns in the economy, overspending, contribute to our loss of gold. Faith cannot be taken from us. Economic failures do not affect faith. God will never leave us. He promised not to and he is not a liar that he goes back on his word. We will never lose our eternal position given us by faith, because God never leaves us. Once he lives within our spirit he never leaves. 

​Clothes. 

It is incredible how we desire to dress prettily and fashionable.  Some of us like to be covered head to toe; others discard their attire until they are wearing only the stitching.   Some people think it a crime to wear the same outfit twice while others don’t give a care.
God spoke about our dress code; he pointed out how he clothed the flowers and the lilies in color and beauty. If he could do this for the vegetation, what could he do for us if we trusted him?
There isn’t any need to worry ourselves sick about earning enough to clothe ourselves; God has our physical needs in hand.
God is more concerned about the state of our heart and our mental state. In our natural state, he can’t enjoy an intimate relationship with us; he needs to clothe us. God, in His immeasurable love, sent Jesus to the cross, taking our failure to keep the standard he requires with him.  In return, Jesus gave us his righteousness so that we could enjoy the Presence of God, and God could enjoy our company.
God gave us a gown, a robe, a suit if you like, of righteousness so that when he looked at us, he saw we wore the clothes Jesus gave us and he smiled on us. He knew Jesus indwelt us, and we lived in Jesus. Jesus and we were an entity. We were acceptable.
The only problem for us to wear the robe of righteousness we need to accept Jesus as Savior, as the rescuer, as redeemer, as a lover.  Can we take the covering of God made possible by Jesus death? Or do we insist on trying to please God by striving to clothe ourselves with our goodness? God calls our robe of righteousness a filthy rage. He hates it. He insists we wear the suit given us by Jesus. So, have we accepted Jesus?
Thought for the Day: Once you have feasted on the goodness of God, nothing else will satisfy.


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