I once heard someone tell a story about Woody Allen, speaking at the commencement ceremony of a large university. To this group of hope-filled, starry-eyed young graduates, this famous actor and movie director once said, "More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly!" While we might laugh at this kind of dark humor, you and I can easily get discouraged with the way the world is going. Today, let’s stop for a little attitude adjustment as we listen to Paul’s words in his second letter to the church at Corinth:

Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord, I had no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I went on to Macedonia. But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. (2 Cor. 2:12-14)

Are you familiar with Paul’s "triumphant" trip to Macedonia? Paul had his vision of a “Macedonian man” calling him to come help him, so Paul and Silas followed the dream. After arriving though, they encountered resistance. Luke writes (in Acts 16): “A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.” There’s much more to this story and I encourage you to re-read Acts 16. Despite the way events were unfolding, Paul didn’t think the world was falling apart, and today, you and I shouldn’t think that way either. He then concludes the passage by saying God "always leads us in triumph in Christ." God always wins. And not only does God always win, but Paul says He manifests through us the sweet aroma of God everywhere we go. In other words, we take God’s Presence with us. You and I are God’s redemptive agents in this world and we must never forget that as we travel through this world, we carry God’s life and Presence into every situation. God uses us, touching the lives of the people we encounter along the way.

Today, are you following the Lord’s direction but are encountering some resistance? Does the world around you seem to be falling apart? Then thank God! He’s leading you into triumph and using you to change your world...and that is very Good News!