Fragrance

October 17, 2026

“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?” 2 Corinthians 2:14-16

After a long work trip, I headed home. I was tired and wanted to get to bed. Around 11PM, I finally arrived. When I opened the door, a nasty smell hit me. The smell filled the house.

The smell was from food waste that I hadn’t disposed of the day before as I left for church. For harder pieces of food waste, we would throw them away in a plastic bag instead of using the sink disposer to prevent it from breaking. As I was leaving for church on Sabbath, I forgot to throw away the food waste bag. So, when I returned home the following day, the stink was all over the house (My family was in Korea during that time).

I was tired, but I had to do something. I opened all the windows to let in fresh air. Then I lit a couple of Yankee candles to absorb the smell and spread fragrance through the house. The next morning, I did the same thing again. I opened the windows and lit the candles. Ah, it smelled so much better.

Paul talks about the fragrance of Christ. Our sinful nature stinks really bad, and we want it off us. We would wash ourselves first, right? We must wash off our sins through Jesus Christ. Then we must put on Christ. We must put on the fragrance of Him. In this way, the fragrance is not just for us, but it also reaches the people around us.

Witness

October 10, 2026

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.”

1 Peter 3:15

I am sure you have had a similar experience. A few years ago, I was looking at my internet service bill. I was surprised by the amount. It was about $16 more than what I usually pay. Immediately, I called the internet company.

After going through the automated answers, I finally reached an agent. I explained the issue, and after a moment's review, he told me my one-year promotion had ended. I knew about the promotion, but I had not realized it was already over.

The agent was kind and asked me to stay on the line so he could find a way to extend the promotion. While he was checking, he asked, “So what do you do, Mr. Kwon?” (I always find it funny when people call me that way…) I told him, “I am a church pastor.”

“Oh, nice! What denomination are you?” “I am a Seventh-day Adventist.”

When he heard that, he said, “I don’t go to church anymore, but I believe that Saturday is the day to worship!” I couldn’t believe my ears. We kept chatting, and he told me about his Catholic background and why he no longer went to church. Knowing I was a pastor, he began asking deep questions about faith. He was going through some issues and looking for answers. I offered to pray for him. I was unsure at first because I knew the dialogue was recorded, but he didn’t care, so I prayed for him and his family. This was a clear reminder that people may come to us with spiritual questions when we least expect it.

We need to be ready all the time. When people reach out to you because you are a Christian, be ready to witness to Jesus. They may come to you unexpectedly, and that is a great opportunity to witness.

Oh, by the way, I got a better promotional deal for my internet service. It was cheaper than before!

Gifts of Grace

October 3, 2026

“O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of your possessions” Psalm 104:24

I am truly enjoying the colors of the leaves these days. They are just amazing! Hyemi has given me some insights and devotional thoughts as we enjoy the fall colors together, and these thoughts lead me to what God is showing us through them.

About 20 years ago, wearing a Dallas Cowboys cap and Jordan basketball shoes was the ‘cool’ thing to do in school. The Cowboys cap was relatively affordable, but the shoes weren’t. I really wanted the Jordan shoes. They were expensive, but I didn’t care. I begged my dad to buy me a pair. Eventually, he did, and I became one of the coolest kids in the world.

Today, I realize how much my dad spent on me. Now that I am a grown-up and understand the value of money, I can see how much those pair of shoes had cost my dad. Dad was still in the seminary, and every dollar mattered. It was needed to help with living. I now see that he couldn’t afford it back then. Yet, Dad still bought me the shoes because I am his son, and he wanted the best for me.

That is what God must be feeling when He lets us enjoy the fall colors. The weather today is not as ideal as it used to be. These colors did not exist before the Flood. There was perfect weather before the Flood, with no rain or winter, and everything was gorgeous. The most ideal climate was allowed to us until the Flood. The consequences of sin have affected our climate, resulting in rain, snow, and unpredictable weather. But even in these unfortunate circumstances, God still wanted us to enjoy His wonderful creation. The leaves will fall due to the winter, but even when they are about to fall, they shine out their beauty because they sing of God’s creation. Once again, God will bring us the ideal New Earth when the time comes, but until then, God will express His love through the nature we have today, just as a father gives his child the best he can. Simply because we are His children and He wants the best for us.