Certain odors can be readily identified. In my clinic I encounter workers from a variety of industries and many have a distinct scent. Whether they work with tar, epoxies, vitamins or landscaping, the olfactory residue can linger long after the people are gone.
The use of fragrances occur often in the Old Testament, but the New Testament draws on this picture as well.
2 Corinthians 2:15 says:
“For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.”
Ephesians tells us that Christ’s love and sacrifice became as a sweet-smelling aroma to God. That sacrifice is imparted to those who are being saved. We now have that pleasing aroma to God as well.
But how does the world experience us? If we are followers of Christ, we become like Him. Our obedience to God and love of others should be evident. Using this imagery, if I have been with Jesus, do I smell like Jesus to the world? When I leave a room, what’s left behind? A refreshing, pleasant aroma of life and hope? Does it emanate from me and linger awhile? Like the workers in my clinic, can people tell Who I’ve been with because of the aroma that stays behind?
I want my life to be a pleasant aroma to God. But I also want to have the same effect on my world; the life-giving scent of Christ that lingers wherever God calls me.
