In our younger years, my wife and I lived with our two children for a number of years in a tiny, isolated, Canadian arctic settlement on the west coast of Hudson Bay. The settlement was accessible only by air on an airstrip that had been quickly constructed by the military in 1957 to facilitate the construction of a radar station in the settlement. However, the project was abandoned almost before it began.

Although the airstrip was capable of accommodating the DC3 aircraft that were primarily in use in the north at that time, it was unlit, and when planes were expected to arrive at night, we residents of the settlement had to put out kerosene-burning flare pots, one on each corner of the strip and two or three along each side, to guide the plane in. Those instances were usually for medical emergencies, but at that high latitude in winter, the daylight hours were very short, and the flare pots were sometimes required for regularly scheduled flights as well. Obviously, the incoming pilots had to have absolute faith in us that we had properly placed the flare pots and that the runway was clear. It was literally a life-or-death situation, and the outcome of any mistakes or negligence on our part would have been unthinkable. Despite their trust in us, those pilots must have approached that air strip in the inky blackness of an arctic night with a high measure of anxiety.

Just as those pilots needed flare pots to guide them in, we all need figurative flare pots in our spiritual life to guide us in to Jesus. We have them in the Scriptures, where we read that Jesus paid for our sins on the cross, that He rose from the grave, that He promises eternal life with Him in heaven if we but believe and accept Him as our Lord and Saviour, and that He will be with us to the end of the age. We can be assured that He has properly placed the flare pots, and that we can approach Him with absolute faith and confidence, living for and trusting in Him both on our day-to-day journey and in our hope for eternity. Although we may still sometimes find ourselves anxiously circling around in the darkness, we have the assurance that we can in any situation approach those flare pots of promise with absolute confidence. They will see us safely in!

John 8:12 – Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life." (NRSV)

Prayer: God of light, illuminate our pathway to Jesus, and help us to illuminate those in the world who are struggling or overcome with darkness. Amen.

Isaiah 42:16b – I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. (KJV)

Some years ago, I checked in at a high-rise hotel, and was instructed by the hotel clerk how to find my room. I stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the floor to which I had been directed. When the door opened, I stepped out into an inviting, brightly lit lobby. However, when I looked down the hallway where the clerk said that I would find my room, I was surprised to see that it was totally dark. Concluding that the hallway lights must be burned out, I decided that my only recourse was to try to grope my way down the hall in the darkness. Before walking more than a couple of metres, however, a ceiling light above me came on. Then, after walking a few more metres, a second ceiling light farther along came on, and so on down the hallway. I realized then that this was an energy-saving system: the lights came on by motion detection. So, despite some initial uncertainty on my part, the light was there for me when I needed it. Probably other hotels have this same system, but this was the first one that I had ever seen, or have seen since.

The thought came to me how much this is like our Christian journey, where we can now only "see through a glass, darkly". God doesn't expect us to find our own way, so He lights our path by His Word. We don't need to grope in the dark. Let us walk confidently with the truth of God's Word to guide us, and as we walk confidently, the way will open up before us.

Isaiah 2:5 – O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord. (KJV)

Prayer: Thank You, Father, for providing Your Word to show the way for us. Help us to walk it day by day with confidence. Amen.

We acknowledge ourselves as being called upon to be representatives of Christ or ambassadors of Christ, but to be the aroma of Christ? Doesn't that sound a little bit strange?

Experts tell us that distinctive smells have more power than any other sense to help us recall distant memories. French novelist, critic, and essayist Marcel Proust (1871-1922) in his novel A la recherche du temps perdu (In search of lost time, translated previously as Remembrance of things past) describes a character vividly recalling long-forgotten memories from his childhood after smelling a tea-soaked biscuit. It's a phenomenon that we all experience. One of mine is that whenever I smell new gum rubber boots in a department store display, my thoughts inevitably go back to the time when, as kids, we happily navigated the muddy roads and puddles of spring on our way to and from school following the end of another interminably long and bitter northern Saskatchewan winter. So for a few seconds, I am again a carefree child daringly testing the depth of the puddles against the height of my gum rubber boots! Maybe my boyhood exuberance will be buoyed even further by spotting an early-returning crow or horned lark!

So, in the context of aromas attracting people to or reminding them of something, for us who have experienced in our own lives the "fragrance" that comes from knowing Jesus, being identified as "the aroma of Christ" makes perfect sense. By our example in our day-to-day living, echoing what we feel in our own hearts, we have the opportunity and indeed the privilege of being the fragrance of Christ to those persons with whom we daily come in contact and thus reminding them of Him.

Prayer: Guide us, Lord, so that our aroma may always be a positive one. Amen.

One day a number of years ago, a cousin of mine, his wife, and their three children were picking wild cranberries on an island in the Saskatchewan River. Accompanying them was the elderly uncle of my cousin and me, who was living in a tiny house in my cousin's farmyard, and who was being semi-cared for by him and his family. As darkness began to fall and they gathered at the car to leave for home, my uncle discovered with alarm that he had somehow lost his glasses. Everyone went back to look for them, but to no avail, and regretfully, they had to leave for home without them.

Some days later, the family returned to the same area to pick cranberries again, and as everyone fanned out with their pails, my cousin's wife offered up a silent prayer that even now, one of them might still find the lost glasses. It seemed almost impossible that they could even remotely hope to find them, as the picking area was mostly choked with dense underbrush. However, after a couple of hours of picking, my cousin's wife happened to glance down at one point, and miraculously, she spotted the lost glasses caught up in a tangle of branches!

Is a pair of lost glasses too small a thing to trouble God about? Not at all! If something is important to us, it is important to God. The truth is that God wants us to trouble Him — to trust Him — with every aspect of our lives. And nothing is either too big or too small!

In her book,Peace Of Mind: Daily Meditations, World War II prison camp survivor and Christian writer, Corrie ten Boom, says, "Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden."

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for inviting us to bring all of our concerns to You, and help us to be ever aware that You are always there for us — even in the small stuff. Amen.

One day as I was idly surfing the net, I came across a photograph of the circa 1828 modest wooden clapboard church in northern Europe where my maternal grandparents were married in 1888 and where my mother and her two sisters were baptized in the closing years of the nineteenth century. I was so excited and moved by the unexpected find that I set the photograph as background on my computer monitor and continue to be inspired by it every time I turn my computer on.

Not only has that church now stood for 178 years, but also another church, which my grandparents established upon their arrival as homesteaders in northern Saskatchewan in 1906 with little more than the clothes on their backs and a lot of faith, has celebrated its hundredth anniversary. A number of people who were raised in that congregation have gone on to full-time Christian ministry work or have been active in churches in the often far-flung places to which they have moved. Some of their children will undoubtedly do the same, as will some of their children after them.

It probably did not really occur to the pastor and members of that 1828 congregation that its influence would ever extend beyond the confines of their own secluded mountain valley. But it would be impossible to even begin to estimate just how many lives have in fact been changed around the world in those 178 years as a result of that little church in that secluded mountain valley.

Will the influence of our churches of today still be felt 178 years from now? It is a question that we should be seriously asking ourselves.

Prayer: Remind us, Lord, that as we deal with necessary church business and form and ritual, we are building for eternity. Amen.

John 21:17 – He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. (KJV)

My wife and I have a bird feeder hanging just outside our kitchen window, and we enjoy watching the various kinds of birds that come to eat. Throughout one summer, two blue jays, in all probability mates who must have had a nest nearby, regularly visited the feeder. My wife and I were saddened to observe that one of the birds had a seriously deformed beak which made normal feeding very difficult. Watching quietly, however, we were intrigued to observe that the normal bird was feeding its handicapped mate in the same manner as it fed their young. In observing the physical limitations of the handicapped bird, it seemed likely that the normal mate must also have borne most of the burden of feeding and caring for their young.

As we observed the birds quietly dealing with their unusual situation, we could not help but question whether we as Christians are as watchful as we need to be for the welfare of each other. As ours is a "one another" religion, we have a responsibility not only to respond to a need once it has been become apparent, but also to proactively discern where there may be a potential need and head it off. In a church context, this could mean something as simple as, when someone misses a worship service, making inquiry as to the reasons.

Prayer: Help us, Lord, as "one another" Christians, to be ever watchful for each other's needs, and provide us with the willingness and grace and wisdom to respond to them. Amen.

Throughout my working life, my family and I lived in a number of different locations across Canada, and for a time lived in a west coast community which owed its existence to the fishing industry. Virtually everyone in the community was either directly or indirectly involved in fishing, and the bottom line of every business in the community depended upon the success of the catch and the current world market for it.

The fishermen took a great deal of pride in their fishing boats. Every spring they scraped them down and gave them a sparkling new fresh coat of paint. Every boat had its own name proudly painted on the bow or the stern. Some of the names were imaginative ones like Poseidon or Nautilus, while others bore the more prosaic names of wives or sweethearts. The boats were an idyllic sight as they lay tied up along the piers.

The single exception was one unpainted, ramshackle-appearing boat bearing the name Praise The Lord. Whether or not the owner believed that he was witnessing to his faith by naming his boat as he did, I could not say, but in fact the very opposite was the case. The combination of the name and the appearance of the boat became something of a joke.

As Christians, we have to be very careful to ensure that everything in our lives reflects our faith in a positive way. I get most disturbed when I see crosses inappropriately worn or displayed, or cars with religious message bumper stickers running red lights or weaving dangerously in and out of traffic. In these cases, what was presumably meant to be a positive witness actually becomes a negative one.

Continuing on to the end of 1 Corinthians 14, we are told in verse 40 that all things should be done "decently and in order." (KJV)

Prayer: Help us, Lord, to remember that everything that we say or do or display in our lives is a reflection of our faith, either positive or negative, and help us every day to "Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me." Amen.