Smelly Sweating Skunky Nostrils
John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life. No
one comes to the Father except through me." NIV
My wife looked up at me with a wry smile on her face. "Did
you know that even your nostrils stink?" she asked.
My NOSTRILS stink? Hum! Just how does one respond to such a
comment? I had NO idea, so I just stumbled out: "Thank you."
But I didn't blame her for her words. It HAD been four days
since I had taken a shower!
My last shower had been the coin-operated shower at the last
campsite before leaving the island of Newfoundland. We
hadn't showered our first night after the ferry, on Cape
Breton. The shower floors were filthy, and the floors were
tracked up with muddy feet. Besides, they, too, were
coin-operated. The showers looked wonderfully clean in
Amherst, Nova Scotia, but when my wife came back from her
shower with frostbite, the rest of us decided that another
day of dirt wouldn't hurt. We learned later that the heating
generator, or whatever you call the thing responsible for
heating the water at this campground, had ceased to exist in
a functional state. Though it was repaired by the time we
struck camp, it was too late for us to change our minds
about the shower!
So after all of this, should I have been surprised that even
my nostrils stank? And so I dutifully made my way to the
shower at that lovely campground near St. Leonard, New
Brunswick. I soaked up the deliciously hot shower water to
my heart's content, even letting it run into my nose.
(Funny, my wife, who showered later, got another cold
shower!) It sure felt good to be clean, and what was the
nicest thing of all, was that there were no comments about
my nostrils.
In those four days, we were all hungering for a hot shower.
In just the same way, so many people are starving to find
the truth. Salvation is free and readily available, but
where do people turn to in order to hear the gospel message?
Some turn to coin operated churches, where good works are
stressed as part of obtaining one's salvation. Salvation by
grace is preached, but salvation by works is practiced.
People only feel empty in such churches, and are often led
to doubt their own salvation. It reminds me of Jesus'
comment in Matthew: "They worship me in vain; their
teachings are but rules taught by men." (15:9)
Others turn to muddy foot-printed churches, where once you
are saved, you are free to lead an immoral life of sin.
Often members of these churches feel guilty for leading
others to perdition, and they feel burdened by their
addictions. Rom 6:1-2 "What shall we say, then? Shall we go
on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died
to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" NIV
Finally, some turn to heat-deprived churches where everybody
tends to offer cold showers to anyone new coming through the
door. Mutual love and respect is absent and materialism and
self-promotion seem to reign in such churches. Members don't
seem to be too eager to attend church in such conditions.
Who would? Rev 3:16-17 "So, because you are lukewarm-neither
hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You
say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a
thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched,
pitiful, poor, blind and naked." NIV
Truth is only to be found in God's Word, and Truth is only
shared by those Christians who have put their relationship
with God as the most important part of their life. Jesus
came to offer the Truth. He was the Truth. He died sharing
the Truth, as well as for our sins. His glorious
resurrection is our guarantee that eternal life is ours, if
only we do accept Jesus as our Savior. Acts 4:12 "Salvation
is found in no one else, for there is no other name under
heaven given to men by which we must be saved." NIV
Nothing legalistic about salvation. Nothing about a free
ticket to live a life under the addictions of sins. Nothing
about uncaring attitudes towards others. It's all about
Jesus and His exemplary love towards us.
What kind of a believer are you?
John 13:34-35 "A new command I give you: Love one another.
As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By
this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you
love one another." NIV
Be careful of those stinky nostrils!
Rob Chaffart