NOW! Bacon.

Ahhh.  I’m not sure there is anything better than the smell of bacon in the frying pan.  It doesn’t matter if I’m stuffed from a holiday turkey or a chinese buffet, bacon makes me hungry.  Research has actually shown that the smell of bacon brings on feelings of comfort and positive thoughts.  I was watching the story of a resturaunteur that was struggling in their new business, and after trying everything, starting frying bacon throughout the day… and sales increased and their business was saved.

Behold…The power of Bacon.

Odors are very powerful emotional stimuli, explains Bruce Turetsky, a University of Pennsylvania associate psychiatry professor. In fact, he says, different scents may “have a greater ability to bring up an emotional memory in you than seeing a picture or hearing a voice.”

- Psychology Today
Psychology Today Magazine, Sep/Oct 2000

Now I’m certainly not advocating that we eat bacon every day to make ourselves comfortable and happy.  But maybe… a bacon aroma after shave?  Probably not… the dogs would start following you around.

The thought of bacon and how that aroma reminds us of a comfortable, pleasing place is an excellent picture of how we should live our lives as Christians.  What?!?  Bacon… and Chrisitanity?  Just hear me out on this one.

It seems that if we wake up each day and place our life in the hands of God as a servant to Him and His people… we become bacon… to those that are hungry.

15For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? 17Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.

The idea that you have to grab a Bible, a pamplet, and a bullhorn to tell others about Jesus Christ sort of lends itself of of someone who doesn’t really know how to smell like bacon.  These street yellers, to me, smell more like cooked cabbage.

The aroma of our spirit continues to grow and become more comfortable and pleasing when we serve others.  It wafts across the room when we bring others into the knowledge of Christ Jesus.  Our spirit becomes one of the aroma of Christ instead of the stench of death.

What is your aroma?  Wouldn’t you rather be known as … here comes BACON!  Rather than… oh my gosh… that guy smells like death!

When you serve others… when you give of yourself… when you recognize that God is bigger than you… when you submit your hands and feet to walking and doing the things Christ teaches us to do… you’re cooking bacon.

The next time you walk into a restaurant, or you cook bacon, or you smell the aroma drifting past your nose… think to yourself… does my spirit have that affect on others?

May you be bacon today.

Peace,
Greg
Acts 4:31

About

Welcome, and thanks for dragging yourself over to Live|Bold! My name is Greg Arnold and I am pumped to see you here. This interactive online community is here to point every man toward the cross. Whether you have been a follower of Christ for ages, or you are just stumbling into this strange new world of faith, we have something of value to offer you. This online e-zine is a cross between a blog, a social network, a resource center, and a pulpit. My hope is to inspire you to live your faith on the outside and be a real man for God. We need you in the fight.