09/15/2022
When we walk through life do we carry with us the fragrance of Jesus; the scent of Heaven, and the very odor of God? Do people not only see Christ in us, but are the blind able to smell His aroma as we approach? We talk about being transformed into the image of Jesus, but there is more to this than the way we look… we are to become like Him in every way… right down to the smell of his cloak, and the sound of His approaching footsteps. Is this what we are becoming each day?
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.”
2 Corinthians 2:14 ESV
It’s not meant for us to pick and choose the traits and characteristics of Jesus that we want to take on, or for us to be satisfied when we look like Him, but don’t behave like Him, or carrying His scent into the world. No, we should find ourselves transformed in every way… right down to the most subtle sound of His footfalls, and the smell of His garments as He brushes by.
“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?”
2 Corinthians 2:15-16 ESV
I came home from work one afternoon, and two of my young grandchildren were playing on a swing in my backyard. I pulled my car into the driveway and when they saw me stepping from it they came running calling out “Andad! Andad!”, and buried their faces in my clothing as they hugged me tight. Then something happened that I will never forget. My granddaughter kissed my cheek and looking into my eyes she asked “Have you been to church Andad? You smell like church.”
I had been working at my office all day, and hadn’t been to church, but during my workday I had prayed with a man who came to me with a problem in his life… and I had been tearfully praying for him as I drove home that day.
What happened that day was a revelation to me regarding how deeply we become like Christ as our faith is exercised, and grows. It is more than the words we say, the prayers we offer up, the fragrance of the places we physically visit, or our mannerisms… it is all of these things and so much more. We are changed in every way, even by the faint fragrance of heavenly incense, the divine dust stirred by the feet of Jesus, the tears of the saints beneath the altar, and the food we offer the hungry… this is our transformation, and what my granddaughter smelled on me that day. I didn’t realize it until she asked me that simple, but revealing, question of a child “Have you been to church Andad?”
Today I want us to open our eyes and look at who we are becoming. I want us to breathe in and become aware of the odor we exude, and that others sense when they are near us. I want us to hear our voices, and listen to the words we speak… are they the words of Jesus, and do we speak them kindly, and lovingly, just as he does? In other words, are we being changed in every way to be more like Him?
“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
Ephesians 4:15-16 ESV
It isn’t enough to say that we should feed the hungry, or that we should pray that they be fed… we are meant to feed them ourselves, and carry the scent of that food upon us. Even this is not enough, because we aren’t meant to feed them out of a scriptural obligation to do so, but out of the same love that Jesus has shown us… his loving countenance should be on our faces as we show mercy to those in need. Then we should walk together with those we have loved in this way, and they should come to know the sound of our footsteps… even as they recognize our scent. We should come to know that they can sense us before they can see or touch us.
Is this who we are becoming? Is this who we are? Do we recognize the smell, taste, and feel of what is being poured out on us through Jesus?
“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,”
Titus 3:4-6 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your Son Jesus who redeems us, and for transforming us into not only His image, but for making us to be like Him in every way. Thank you for what people see in us, and for the unseen attributes of Christ that, though unseen, are ingrained in us. Thank you for the scent of His body, the sound of His voice, the sweetness of His holy kiss, and the radiant love that is His glory. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who created us, and not created us once more to be like Jesus; your children. Praised be your name for the smell of church upon us, and the familiar sound of Jesus approaching. Merciful are you who works your kindness and love through us. Deep and abiding is your grace that flows through Christ, and sweet its lingering scent as we carry it forth into the world. Wash us with the blood of Jesus. Cleanse us of our sin, and wipe away the tears of the martyrs who have stood firm in their faith. Let us hear your voice above the clouds, feel your glory raining down upon us, and hear the sounds of the trumpets as the wings of angels carry us before you on judgement day. See the face of Jesus when you look at our faces, but Father we pray that you find far more than that awaiting you. Look upon us and judge us as your Son Jesus looks back at you. Be pleased in us, and call us your children, then seat us at your table for all eternity… find us worthy in Christ Jesus, and smelling of the spice that gave Him victory over death.
“Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind! Blow upon my garden, let its spices flow. Let my beloved come to his garden, and eat its choicest fruits.”
Song of Solomon 4:16 ESV
Rich Forbes