A Sweet Aroma

There are many places in the bible discussing our worship being a sweet aroma to the Lord.   We first see mention of it in the Bible when Noah came out of the ark, turning away from his own sorrow and need and built an altar to minister to the Lord's broken heart.  What an act of worship!   We see that the sweet aroma of a worshipping heart is so important to the Lord that he instructed that an altar of incense be built in the tabernacle in Exodus 30.  It was to be placed in front of the curtain, before the ark of Testimony, in the place where God promised to meet with His people. Every morning and every evening, the High Priest was to burn the fragrant incense, made of a special recipe consecrated only to the Lord. It was to be burnt regularly, day in and day out for the generations to come (v. 7-9, 34-38).

And in John 12:3 the Bible says, "Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume."  You know her selfless act of worship was a sweet aroma (literally) to the Lord!

I have been studying a lot about worship in BSF (Bible Study Fellowship).  BSF is an awesome, in-depth Bible Study with a four-fold approach where you:

1. Answer daily lesson questions on your own.

2. Discuss your insights in a conversation with members of your discussion group.

3. Listen to a lecture that explains the passage, key principles from the lesson and the relevance of the Bible's truth to today's world.

4. Read lesson notes that further elaborate on the passage.

My Lord has really used each of the four pieces of BSF to speak to me specifically and grow me.  Lately, as I mentioned above, he has been educating me on worship---true worship which comes from the heart.   Worship that is a sweet aroma to Him.  (This year's BSF study is on the Life of Moses and I have gotten even more out of it than I ever expected to get from the Old Testament teachings.  And, it is amazing how every passage seems to point to Jesus.  If you want to find a BSF study near you, click here.)

At the same time that I am learning so much during the BSF Bible study, the kids are as well.  The preschool children's program is really amazing.  To see little 2-3 year olds have a quiet time with the Lord, share the gospel using the gospel finger play, and sing songs of worship to the Lord just makes my heart melt.  Abbey has been singing several songs lately that she learned in BSF:   "Holy, Holy, Holy", "Trust and Obey" and "Go Down Moses".  To hear our little 3-year old singing "Holy, Holy, Holy" as she lay in her bed falling asleep seriously makes my heart melt.  I had an a-ha moment the other day as I couldn't wipe the smile on my face and had tears of joy coming down my face hearing precious Abbey singing to God.  I thought, goodness, if I feel this way, just imagine how God must feel to hear her worship and even my worship.  I am just her parent---but He is her creator and the one to whom she is singing.   What a sweet aroma it must be to Him!

Yesterday, Abbey was singing as we were getting in the car after playing at a park.  So, I captured some of the "sweet aroma" on video.  She shortened the songs a bit here, but still so precious!  Enjoy!