Friday 5 May, 2017

12 I went to Troas to preach the good news about Christ. There I found that the Lord had opened a door of opportunity for me. 13 But I still had no peace of mind. I couldn’t find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to the believers at Troas and went on to Macedonia. 14 Give thanks to God! He always leads us as if we were prisoners in Christ’s victory parade. Through us, God spreads the knowledge of Christ everywhere like perfume. 15 God considers us to be the pleasing smell that Christ is spreading. He is spreading it among people who are being saved and people who are dying. 16 To those who are dying, we are the smell of death. To those who are being saved, we are the perfume of life. Who is able to do this work? 17 Unlike many people, we aren’t selling God’s word to make money. In fact, it is just the opposite. Because of Christ we speak honestly before God. We speak like people God has sent.

I love perfume and I love scented candles.  So when you walk into a home with the aroma of the candles I understand what we are to ‘smell’ like.  Like sweet perfume….

Our lives are to be fragrant.  Fragrance wafts through the air, with no boundaries, perceived/received by our senses.  It transforms a room and changes an atmosphere.

Christ said in this scripture that our lives are to be like that – a fragrance rising up to God.  To Jesus our lives, when we live well and in the fear of God we become a sweet smelling fragrance.

However we are also aware that some fragrances people don’t like.  To some; our lives and ‘smell’ will be a scent of death and doom.   We need not fear that; we need not shy away from that – we are called to fragrant wherever God has placed us.

We all need to continue to be faithful to the Word of God.  To speak it with sincerity and authority and know that the only person we ever need to answer to – is HIM.  Jesus.

Lord Jesus, help us to be fragrant.  Where we have become not what we should be, convict us Lord and help us to change.  Help us to be as Christ amongst our family, neighbours and friends.

Written by Ps. Sue Botta