But 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.
2 Corinthians 2:14

Do you ever feel like you’re living in a long series of defeats? Like all your efforts to do things God’s way and serve Him are being blocked at every turn?

Our food pantry truck is in the shop for urgently needed repairs; we couldn’t get a replacement to keep us on the road, and we don’t know yet where the money is coming from to cover those repairs. For the first time in all these years, it looks like we will have to tell the two hundred or so families who will come on Saturday that we have no food to give them. On top of that, we just wrote the paychecks that were due two weeks ago - and the next paychecks came due yesterday.

In the book of II Corinthians, where we’re reading today, Paul has just been telling about the setbacks and apparent roadblocks he’d recently been faced with. It’s quite a list. Some Christians in the church at Corinth had fallen into sin. He couldn’t stay in Troas, he was worried sick about his friend Titus who had disappeared. And then he exclaims, “But thanks be to God…”

Because he understood that no matter how things look to you right now, no matter how many apparent defeats you have suffered, God is leading you in a parade through the streets, celebrating His victory. The fragrant perfume of a life lived while knowing Him is spreading through the world wherever you go. That fragrance lingers in the air after you pass by, and that’s what people will remember.

Lord, You know all about my inadequacies and failures. You know that I often wonder how You can ever use me for Your glory. But I’ll keep following You, trusting in Your purpose. I’ll follow You through the streets, on display for all the world to see, my defeat and Your victory. Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles