The Aroma Of Christ :: Deeper Devotion

2 Corinthians 2:14-16a

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.

Isn’t it neat to think of ourselves as the “fragrance of the knowledge of Him”? When I read this verse I thought of the perfume sprayers in department stores. They are always very smiley and pleasant as they offer you a squirt of their designer fragrance. Wouldn’t it be great if we produced the same amount of joy in people as our department store counterparts? Unfortunately, the word Christian stirs up too many negative sentiments among people for us to ever hope for such a positive response, but I do think that we could act as covert perfume sprayers. We can fill up a room with the blessings and joy of God without using our nametags.

The majority of the people I work with are not Christians. When I get to work in the morning I can almost physically feel the burdens they are bearing and joy is a distant longing instead of a daily reality. Every day it is my quest to get them to smile- a kind word, a hello as we pass each other in the hallway, and assistance on a project are just a few of the ways that God has allowed me to bless them; all the while filling their minds with the “aroma of Christ.” If they only knew!

But, in fact, I think they do know. As the verse says, “To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.” Each person responds differently. Some people want nothing to do with God and so, in turn, they subconsciously avoid me. To others though, to those who are searching, I am the “fragrance of life.” I may not wear my nametag in the sense that I go around preaching to them, but they do know who I am and what I stand for. They know because they are looking for an explanation for why I’m different from them. They want to know why I have joy when I work the same mind-less job they work. And I think, deep down, they want to know Christ. They want more of the pleasant smelling “aroma.” They want joy. They want peace. They want a purpose for life.

The moral of my story is, let’s spray them with the perfume of Christ so that, as in the department store, they come back to get that fragrance that put a smile on their face.

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