The staff of the Christian radio
station of which I am president often presented me with a dozen and a
half long-stemmed red roses for my birthday. The roses were
exquisitely beautiful, and their fragrance filled my home day and
night while they were fresh. I wanted to preserve the petals by
drying them, fully expecting them to remain fragrant.
I dried the petals successfully, but I
was disappointed that they totally lost their fragrance! A friend
reminded me that only fresh, living roses have a scent—not dead,
dry ones. She told me to apply a few drops of concentrated rose oil
to them, zip them snugly in a plastic bag and let the petals absorb
the fragrance as if it were their own. Voila! They were
fragrant again! And I could zip them into smaller baggies to give to
friends while sharing a spiritual analogy.
According to the Scriptures, we should
bear the fragrance of Christ wherever we are, at all times, under all
circumstances—in the uncertainties, adversities, and dark times of
life as well as in the light.
We are to attract people to God and to
His glory, not to ourselves. Primarily however, we are to be a
fragrance unto God, to lavish our love on Jesus like the expensive
perfume poured by Mary on Jesus’ feet as an expression of love and
gratitude for our sins forgiven.
Since only living roses share their
fragrance, so only living Christ-ones can offer a fragrance to God
and to others around them.
Like the dried rose petals anointed
with rose oil, we must snuggle close to Jesus, abide in Him, spend
time in His presence and adore Him, not only in our quiet times but
“without ceasing” throughout the day and night. Moment by moment
we will be “anointed with fresh oil” of the Holy Spirit (Psalm
92:10) so we can absorb His fragrance. Without our saying a word,
others will know we have been close to Jesus and they will be drawn
to Him. As Saint Francis of Assisi taught and demonstrated by the
fragrance of his life, “Preach the gospel at all times and, if
necessary, use words.”
“Thanks be to God, who unfailingly
leads us on in Christ’s triumphal train, and employs us to diffuse
[spread, make evident] the fragrance [aroma] of his knowledge
everywhere! We are a sweet fragrance of Christ for God’s sake, both
[discernable alike] among those who are being saved and those on the
way to destruction [perishing]; to the latter an odor dealing death,
[a fatal odor, the smell of doom] to the former a breath bringing
life [from life to life, a vital fragrance, living and fresh]. For
such a mission [ministry] as this, is anyone really qualified [fit,
sufficient, able]?” (2 Corinthians 2:14-16 Combined
translations/versions)
“Follow the way of love, even as
Christ loved you. He gave Himself for us as an offering to God, a
gift of pleasing fragrance” (Ephesians 5:1). Christ’s sacrifice
was foreshadowed by the sacrifices in the Old Testament which were
called “a sweet-smelling [fragrant] oblation [sacrifice]”
(Exodus 29:18, 25).
Dear Lord, so may it be through my
life.
FRAGRANCE UNTO YOU
A fragrance unto You,
Lord?
You have said that's what
I am—
a fragrance of Christ to
God
delighting You—a
thought
my mind can scarcely
grasp.
You, the
supernatural, will to impart
to me, the natural, the
fashioned clay,
the aroma of Your Manifest
Presence.
Then You ask me to be, in
turn,
a fragrance unto You!
Awesome!
When You formed us in Your
image
You delighted to create
our senses
to give us the enjoyment
of scents.
Thank You!
You must enjoy the aroma
of incense
since You meticulously
prescribed its ingredients.
Your Manifest Glory filled
the Temple
so everyone who worshipped
would know
that You were there.
So I know You want me to
share
the sweet essence of Your
knowledge
an aroma absorbed from
walking close to You
sometimes leaning on Your
bosom
and release it in every
place, at all times
to waft like the perfume
of a living, fresh bouquet
of roses.
The thought is too
wonderful for me!
Who is adequate for
these things?
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