2 Corinthians 2:14  But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.

Our youngest son Michael was born with an artistic gift.  Even when he was little he could draw beautifully.  I describe him as having the eye of an artist.  After serving in the army, he joined the National Guard so that he could be trained in Broadcast Journalism.  He wanted to become a videographer – one who makes videos.  That was his job in the Guard.

Good videography requires technical competence.  It’s not just taking videos and splicing them together.  It is producing a product that accomplishes its intended purpose.  The quality and attractiveness of the video produced depends upon the skill and technical excellence of the one producing it.  But here is where Michael had a real advantage.  He brought the eye of an artist to his trade.

This artistic gift affected everything that he did in the process:  camera angles, shots taken, lighting, what to include or exclude, music, editing, how things are put together.   This enabled him to produce videos that stood out and received recognition.  They have an inherent attractiveness because they combined art and technical skill.  The resulting product has an attractive ‘fragrance’, if you will that art or technical skill by themselves couldn’t produce.  Michael’s generals and others noted the excellence of his work.

This illustration of the importance of artistic gift + technical competence has a wonderful parallel in our Christian life.  The gift is the life of Christ within us.  It affects everything about us and particularly how we view everything.  The technical skill component is walking in His ways.  We have the Holy Spirit within us motivating and enabling us to learn from God’s Word how to do it.  The more we walk in His ways, the greater this component becomes – the more Christlike we become.  Without this, excellence is not produced.

Whereas Michael produced excellent videos; we are to produce lives of excellence.  People watch us just like they do videos.  What are they going to notice and remember?  If we truly and seriously commit ourselves to Christ and His transforming work in our lives, we will spread the wonderful fragrance of the knowledge of Jesus wherever we go.