Can You Smell Me?

2 Corinthians 2:16
To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task.

I believe it was a speed stick commercial with Charles Barkley back in the day that said, “The greatest defense is not to offend.” It was a deodorant commercial about not offending people with bad underarm odor.

This past week we were in the Holy Land touring the old city. We had been walking all day and went into a crowded marketplace out into the Western wall to pray. As we were assembling ourselves to pray a man with very strong underarms walked past carrying a very pungent breeze in his trail. He passed between my wife and another woman. The woman’s eyes got big as her nostrils were insulted with the strong odor; she lifted her arms to smell herself. My wife caught eyes with her and laughed. She told the woman, “don’t worry it’s not you, I just smelled the same thing, it was somebody else who just passed by.”

Can you smell yourself? Take a whiff right now. How do you smell? Better yet how do you smell to other people? We are all giving off some type of fragrance or aroma. As Christians we are to be giving off the fragrance of the knowledge of Jesus Christ but even when we do we either smell like death or life.

To the person that is being saved we are the fragrance of life. That means people who have a teachable spirit welcome our scent, the smell of God on us. Our words and actions give off a scent. When people are open to God they can smell him on you if you have been in fellowship with God.

To the person that is perishing and they are in love with their own thoughts, we smell like death. In certain eastern cultures it’s offensive to smell good. They value the smell of natural body odors and pheromones that come as a result of not wearing deodorant. They think we stink! It’s the same in America in the spirit. There are people in the world who are offended by the gospel of Jesus Christ because they love the smell of sin more than they do the smell of a cleaned up life. The cross is foolishness for those that are perishing.

Our goal is to defend the faith without offending people. You can’t help when you speak truth in love and people still turn up their noses in disgust. But you can make sure there are no flies in your perfume. Ecclesiastes 10:1 As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. You can’t mix folly with wisdom and not stink up the place. James 3:10-11 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers this should not be. When we speak to others they should be able to smell God on us.

1. Make sure you consecrate yourselves every morning with prayer, devotion, and
meditation. Psalm 19:14
2. Be a good example in your speech and conduct. Titus 2:7-8
3. Whatever you do, do it for Jesus and you will fill the room with a good
fragrance. John 12:3

Dear God, I pray that my life is a pleasing aroma in your nostrils. Help me to live my life in such a way that I am a fragrance of life to those that are perishing. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you Oh Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

In Jesus Name,
Amen