IF YOU WERE A FRAGRANCE...

 

But thanks be to God! For through what Christ has done,

he has triumphed over us so that now wherever we go he uses us to tell others about the Lord and to spread the Gospel like a sweet perfume. As far as God is concerned there is a sweet, wholesome fragrance in our lives. It is the fragrance of Christ within us, an aroma to both the saved and the unsaved all around us.

2 Corinthians 2:14-15 (TLB)

 

Not long ago I received an email from Bath and Body Works. This is the place where we order the hand soaps and lotions for the ladies restrooms at church. The heading caught my eye. It said, "If you were a fragrance...what fragrance would you be? Then it gave a few examples to choose from, like "Sweet as Strawberry Pound Cake, Beautiful as a Perfect Peony and Bubbly as a Champagne Toast." These all sound great, right?

 

One of the most powerful senses we have is the sense of smell. Take for instance the smell of a baby, the smell of your mother's favorite perfume, or the smell of your grandmother's home. Scent can trigger memories that we treasure for a long time.

 

As Christians, we carry the fragrance of the knowledge of the Lord and we should be like diffusers, spreading His sweet aroma wherever we go and in all that we do. We need to be gentle, loving, caring, forgiving, compassionate, understanding diffusers of Christ's love.

 

Each one of us can choose what fragrance we give off to others. Maybe we should ask ourselves from time to time, "What type of fragrance am I leaving behind? How am I affecting the world around me with the gifts God has given to me?"

 

Our fragrance should be one of love and kindness, not anger and harshness. It should be one of patience and faithfulness, not intolerance and selfishness. We should be lifting people's spirits with joy and peace, not leaving them discouraged and broken. Guys, our fragrance should be pointing to the goodness of Christ.

 

Think about this...When God created flowers, He created them to give off a sweet aroma. And He created us in just the same way. We are filled with the Holy Spirit and we should bring God's sweet smelling aroma into every room we enter, each hallway we pass through, and every elevator we step on. The fragrance of Christ never runs out. It has a heavenly, luxurious aroma, and best of all this fragrance is free to everyone and is paid for, in full, by the One who loves us and treasures us more than we could ever imagine - Jesus, the Christ.

 

So, what fragrance are you wearing today?

 

Let us pray: Dear Lord, help us to bear a heavenly aroma as we share the sweet perfume of the gospel with others. Amen.

 

                                                                   Pastor Ruth