Junior high years are tough for so many reasons. There are all types of changes that take place in the life of a young person in those years, especially physical ones. Gym classes in junior high were sometimes rough as many boys and girls had not yet learned the necessity of using deodorant. Teachers would try to counsel young people who refused to address the problem, but anyone having gone through junior high remembers odor that carried over into every classroom.
This last Friday night, Brian and I took a ride through a place called Cades Cove in the nearby national park. We have loved this one-way 11 mile loop road through the most beautiful of places where pioneering families once lived. There are still cabins, barns, old churches with their cemeteries and wonderful, beautiful and fascinating views to behold. As we drove close to the entrance of the cove, it began to pour down rain. That was okay with us. Having come from Texas a few weeks prior, we were still longing for the sights, sounds and smells of rain. Despite the rain, there were wild turkeys and lots of deer were all over the place. As the rain came to a stop, we pulled off for awhile at a turnoff to just enjoy that wonderful place. The last rays of sun that had come out after the rain, just peeked through the trees before hiding behind a mountain. We drove the rest of the way around the loop. but did it with car windows down.
Some park rangers had mowed that day, but had been careful to avoid cutting into wild flowers as much as possible. All of a sudden, through the windows came the most delightful aroma that I couldn't describe to myself let alone to anyone else. It was a combination of rain soaked freshly mown grass, the sweetness of a variety of flowers, with the aroma of rain covered tree leaves all blending, wafting through our windows. No one could ever combine all of those fragrances and put the resulting perfume in a bottle. All of this was mixed into a delightful aroma for just that place and time. I couldn't take in enough of it.
There are scents, smells, fragrances that we sniff and smell through our years, many which we don't think much about beyond the moment. However, there are aromas that seem to stick with us for life....the scent of a grandmother's bath soap, baby powder and lotion, Jergen's original scented lotion, fresh apple pie baking in an oven, spring roses near a bedroom window, Midnight in Paris Perfume (youngins' don't know about this), freshly dried sheets from off the backyard clothesline and the list could go on.
Often in Scripture, we find God enjoying the savory aroma's of sacrifices offered by His loving people. Whether animal or an assortment of spices offered to Him out of love, He was made glad by it all. In many places in Scripture, God's delight is mentioned regarding His pleasure in His people who have sacrificed to be rid of sin or who have offered sweet smelling spices out of love or even as symbolic of prayer.
In II Corinthians 2:15, we read of another aroma that is both pleasing to God and a blessing in the lives of others. Paul speaks of our being a sweet aroma or fragrance that comes as a result of our close relationship with Jesus Christ, an aroma that is to spread and rub off on others. Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit says:
For we are unto God a sweet savor (aroma) of Christ,
in them that are saved, and in them that perish.
Please note that in this verse, this sweet aroma of Christ is to have influence in two arenas. Our Christ-likeness should be an encouragement to Christians we come in contact with. But then, this aroma, although not totally understood by an unsaved person, should be something that causes a curiosity in the life of an unbeliever. Perhaps we have had unsaved persons ask, in so many words, "What makes you so different?"..."How are you getting through the difficult situation you are facing?" This aroma encourages, but it can also rouse someone's curiosity as to what makes us different. What a wonderful opportunity that presents to be a witness.
So where does this wonderful aroma originate? This aroma is very real and genuine like those sweet scents coming in my car window Friday night. Oh, it's not a physical aroma...it's a spiritual aroma that becomes a part of us as we come into relationship with Jesus Christ and through our relationship with him, day by day, that aroma gets sweeter and sweeter.
How do we maintain this wonderful sweetness in our lives? Some suggestions along this line might be:
1. First, take a bath.
If we want to smell good physically, we have to bathe regularly. The starting place for we Christians bearing the sweet aroma of Christ also requires a bath. It's a different kind of bath. We have often sung the chorus to an old hymn:
"Are you washed...in the blood
In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb.
Are your garments spotless, are they white as snow
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?"
You see, along with a physial bath or shower, we put on clean clothes that smell and feel fresh and clean. Such is true for the spiritual part of us. To bear the aroma of Christ, we also need fresh clean clothes that have been washed...in the blood of the Lamb. This aroma we are blessed with was/is very costly. Perfume these days are extremely expensive, but nowhere do I see that in the manufacturing of it, someone had to die in the process. This sweet, spiritual aroma cannot be purchased. It has already been paid for through the death of Jesus and is free for the taking as we walk in sweet relationship with the Lord.
2. We must also watch what we eat.
Have you ever been around someone with garlic breath, especially when that person gets right in your face to talk to you? Whew!!! Can't get away fast enough. Spiritually, what do we eat? If we feed on all of the filth of this world, that spiritual aroma God intends for us is going to dissipate in all of that stench. When we open our mouths to speak for Christ, in all probability, we will find our influence for Him has faded.
We should saturate ourselves in the Word of God through reading, good books, sermons and every means possible to keep ourselves strong spiritually. Several years ago after a Bible study, a lady said to me, "Do you think we ought to read our Bibles 8 hours a day?" I knew she was being sarcastic but replied to her: "I don't see how that could hurt any of us." We find time for everything else in life. It's the time we spend with the Lord in His Word that is going to infuse us with the aroma Paul spoke of. Otherwise, we can take on alot of "stinkin' thinkin" that is just the opposite of what the Lord wants of us.
3. We must watch the company we keep.
Ma-maw Clifton babysat our two baby girls for awhile. Because I was on the church staff where we both attended church, Ma-maw who had the girls on Wednesdays, would bathe them, get them all dressed up and bring them to Wednesday night church that she would be coming to as well. Nursery workers would later talk about the smell of the girls. They just reeked of Tabu perfume. That's the only kind of perfume Ma-maw wore. As she dressed the girls, carried them, packed their diaper bags, there it was...Tabu. Why? Simple...those little girls had been very closer to Ma-Maw. She had hugged them, dressed them, wrapped them up in their winter coats, and nuzzled in their little necks. She never did put any of her perfume on them. It just rubbed off on them. That's what is to happen with us...Jesus is to rub off from us onto others.
There are going to be Christians you and I are around who just rub off on us the good things of the Lord. They live Jesus, talk Jesus, serve Jesus...Jesus just rubs off on us and we can't help but be affected in a positive way. When people of the opposite kind of life are around us, they rub off on us as well whether we know it or not. They may be nominal Christians or not Christians at all but either way, we are influenced.
We aren't to be recluses from the world. We are to be witnesses and to be effective witnesses. We are to be salt and light before people who need Christ. However, we must be cautious that those we choose to make our intimate friends are those who will encourage and lift us up spiritually.
4. Remember that we are called to a life of holiness.
In I Peter 1:15,16, we find a phrase repeated where God gives a distinct command. It is not voiced as a choice but it is meant to be a big thing on our to-do-list as a Christian. He says:
But as He which hath called you is holy,
so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.
Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
I must admit that this is a scarey phrase for me every time I see it. It scares me because I am so aware of my shortcomings and proneness to mess up. Oh, let's just call it like it is...SIN. We will sin, we will fall short of God's standards but He lovingly forgives and draws us to Himself. However, our weaknesses can never be used for an excuse for not striving to the holy (or set aside) life God desires for you and me.
There are many other steps that could be suggested for our being that sweet aroma others will desire to be around. We don't walk this path with the Lord to bring glory to ourselves but to bring honor and glory only to Him. We can't lift a spiritual finger without His mercy, grace and strenghening. It is a wonderful life God wants to live through us. Spiritually speaking, who do you and I smell like today? Do we bear the fragrance and aroma of Jesus Christ?
Dear Father...
I thank you for saving me, for giving me Your Holy Spirit Who enables me to lead the life You want me to live. If I try in my own strength to be that sweet aroma that can only come from You, I will only be frustrated and ill-tempered. No one will be blessed by pretense nor will You be pleased. Whatever is in my life right now that is holding me back from sharing Your sweet aroma with others, please forgive me and take it from me. Clean me up as only you can and may I be a willing participant in the process. I love you Father...in my Savior's name...Amen.
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