“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place,” 2 Corinthians 2:14 (NKJV).
A few years ago, my husband and I were shopping in a well-known department store, when we were stopped by a beautiful fragrance near the perfume counter. When we asked the salesperson what that beautiful fragrance was, she told us that just before we arrived, a customer had accidently dropped and broken one of the perfume bottles, leaving the scent everywhere.
When we exclaimed how lovely it was and asked what kind it was, she pointed us to a product by a Japanese designer and showed us her line of fragrances, both for men and for women. We so enjoyed the pleasant aroma that we decided to get them for each other for our anniversary. It just so happened that they had a special price when you bought one, the second came with a 50 percent discount. We have so enjoyed those fragrances, and preserve our designer cologne and perfume for special occasions. We absolutely love the scent!
In much the same way, our lives diffuse the fragrance of Christ to those all around us. When we come to know the Lord, we carry His brokenness in us, because He was broken for us; and we display the glory of His victory as well, because He arose triumphantly, so that we can arise in triumph as well.
When we carry both the humility of the cross of Jesus, and the deliverance from the tomb, there is a glorious, heavenly scent that surrounds us wherever we go! The scripture says that when others get a whiff of that scent, it stirs up the beauty of life to those who have received Christ, but for those who are still walking in their deeds of sin, it is a reminder of death without Christ (2 Corinthians 2:15-16, NKVJ).
I encourage you today to be like Christ, have the aroma of heaven and let your life diffuse the beautiful fragrance of Christ every day! God’s grace is what makes this possible. When we are in His presence, we will take on the scent of heaven! Do this today with your spouse! Let the stench of works of the flesh, and the lust of the earth, and the filth of offense, unforgiveness, and judgment be washed away by the blood of Jesus, and let the newness of His glorious love fill your heart and the atmosphere where you live!
Romans 13:14 (NLT), says aptly, “Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ; And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.” Let us not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh, but let us yield to the glorious riches of heaven, as we quiet ourselves in His presence and have the aroma of the one from heaven, whom we’ve been around. Take on the fragrance of Christ, and cloth yourself with His presence, His peace, His joy, and His righteousness every day!
Article Written by: Deborah Harper, Ph.D.
