For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.  To some we are an aroma of death leading to death, but to others, an aroma of life leading to life.  And who is competent for this?  For we are not like the many who market God’s message for profit.  On the contrary, we speak with sincerity in Christ as from God and before God.  2 Corinthians 2:15-17  HCSB

As I mentioned several weeks ago, we have beagles.  We have three that have all been rescued.  The most important thing to know about the beagle is that they will follow a scent no matter what it takes to do so and no matter where it might lead.  They will be totally oblivious to the things going on around them while they are tracking this scent.  Now their little noses have a sense of smell that is said to be thousands of times stronger than our sense of smell.  I would imagine that this could be good and this could also be bad.  I often wonder if things that smell good to us smell good to them and if things that smell awful to us smell awful to them, but I’m not sure.  I know that they enjoy the smell of bacon or burgers as much as we do.

In our scripture passage today Paul tells the Corinthians that to God they are the fragrance of Christ among those being saved and those perishing.  He goes on to say that to some we are an aroma of death leading to death and to others life leading to life.

Depending on what you are smelling, the sense of smell can be a wonderful gift or it can seem like a horrible curse.  Some things have a very pleasing aroma like a fresh cut rose or a cake with buttercream icing with a hint of almond.  Last night my 7 year old niece jumped up in my lap at church and I could smell the sweet scent of berries in her hair.

Our sense of smell is similar to our sense of taste.  It’s not the same for all people, it tends to vary.  For example, I love the smell of gasoline.  I also love the smell of an old used carburetor gasket.  In colognes and air fresheners I prefer those that have a fresh clean scent as opposed to those with a heavy musky or sweet odor.

God gives us a sense of smell for a reason.  Obviously there are good fragrances and things that we should enjoy and there are bad fragrances and things that we should avoid.  We have all heard the phrase, “stop and smell the roses”.  But no one wants to stop and smell the skunk.

Our sense of smell can draw us in or push us away.   We bathe and clean ourselves on a regular basis in order to smell pleasant to those around us.  To God we want to have the aroma of Christ.  We want to smell like his Son.  Just like my niece has the sweet scent of berries, we all have our own odor.  I would know the scent of some of my friends even if blindfolded, because of the perfumes that they wear. Often times when we miss a loved one, we can hold a piece of their clothing and smell their scent.  When I leave our local coffee shop, I smell like coffee.  If we are imitators of Christ then we will have the aroma of Christ to God. To God, we will smell like his beloved Son. To those around us we should smell like life leading to everlasting life.  We should have a pleasant aroma that draws others in.

I’m sure as you read this that you can think of at least a dozen things, people, and places that have aromas that you find very pleasing.  You may also be thinking of things, people, and places that have a foul odor.  I pray that if you are a Christian, that you have the pleasing aroma of Christ.  I pray that your “scent” draws others to you and makes them want whatever it is that you have.  If you have not accepted Christ as your savior, I pray that you will recognize the aroma of Christ in someone around you and it will lead you to eternal life.

The nose knows, so sniff out the things that are pleasing to God and track them like a beagle tracking a rabbit!

Have a great day!

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