"Call to me and I will answer you, and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. " Jeremiah 33:3

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

"Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing." 2 Corinthians 2:15 NLT

Don't you just love this verse? Just think, because of Christ; all who place their faith and trust in Him become an aroma that is pleasing to God!! Because of Christ's sacrifice of Himself on the cross, His perfect sinless sacrifice ended for all time the need for additional sacrifice! Because Christ's death was to satisfy the debt that sin owed not just for my sin but for the sins of the entire world!

Never again will a sacrifice be needed for sin, Christ died and rose again conquering, sin, and death. "by means of His own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption." Hebrews 9:12. "But as it is, He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." Hebrews 9:26. "And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." Hebrews 10:10, 14. Praise His name forever!!!

That is why believers carry the aroma of Christ, the Lamb of God, not because of anything we did but rather it has everything to do with what He did for us!

I have a friend that wears a beautiful fragrance, no not the type that comes into a room before you do and lingers in the air after you leave. You don't even smell it unless she gives you a hug, and she is a great hugger. I love being hugged by her because then I carry around that fragrance for the rest of the day. There are other fragrances that I dislike and I don't like being hugged by people wearing those scents, mainly the musk based ones, because that fragrance is offensive to me, and I don't wish to wear that around! Note; not the people, the fragrance is what is offensive.

I know you already know where I am going with this. So here are the main points, life applications.

1. If I am to be the fragrance of Christ to another person, I have to deliberately engage with them. I can't just bump into them along the way, I have to stop and "hug" them.

2. My attention and focus must be upon them, Christ was deliberate, in the moment, He was intentional with everyone He engaged with. We must follow His example if we are wearing His aroma.

3. To have Christ's aroma in us also means that people will be drawn to us, because of His favor surrounding us and that is why we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit every day that we may know how we should respond.

4. To have Christ's aroma on us also means that some people will be offended by us, we will be a foul odor in their nostrils. Jesus talked about that in John 15:18-19; "If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as it's own; but because you are not of the world but I chose you out of the world; therefore the world hates you." And in Matthew 5:10; "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." And again for encouragement, 1 Peter 4:14; "If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you."

Believers are blessed to be the aroma of Christ, great blessing carries with it great responsibility... to everyone who has been given much, much will be required.

1 comment:

  1. This entry was great food for thought, and it reminded me that I depend solely on the Holy Spirit to get me through each day being a reflection of Christ. Today, I will deliberately turn it all over to Him.

    Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.

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