“But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s
triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge
of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ
among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the
one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that
brings life”(2 Corinthians 2:14-16, NIV).
An aroma can be defined as
“an agreeable odor or fragrance”. A less known definition is “a
pervasive characteristic or quality”. These verses in 2 Corinthians
speak of my life as a Christian, and how God wishes to use me to
spread the knowledge of His love. As a captive of Christ, I give off
a “pleasing aroma” to the Lord. To one who is seeking the Lord,
my aroma is the fragrant odor of His life, but to the one who is
spiritually dying, my aroma is the stench of death. My life should be
so deeply pervaded with His presence and captivated by His will that
everything about me emits an odor of spiritual wholeness in Him.
However, the spiritual aroma of Christ in my life can become dampened
by attitudes that are self-focused instead of God-focused.
What kind of spiritual aroma
does my life offer? What comes to someone's mind when they hear my
name? Would they like to spend time with me or run from my presence?
Do hope, peace, and joy pervade my life? Do I encourage with the
love of Christ or do I offer the despair of an ugly and negative
spirit? Am I so concerned with never receiving my own promise that my
heart is envious of someone else receiving theirs? Does my life
speak His peace and contentment or is it filled with the misery of
self-pity? Do I live my life joyfully focused on Him or does a bad
attitude claim my mind? If everything is about me, then I become a
selfish person instead of the selfless one that the Lord calls me to
be. Self-pity brings feelings of rejection, and then I isolate myself
from others. Bitterness claims my mind and heart, and I drive others
away by erecting a wall no one can easily climb. I cannot serve the
god of “self-pity”, and also be the aroma of Christ.
If I am captivated by His
presence, then I belong to Him. There is no room for selfishness or
jealousy or bitterness. If Jesus Christ is the Lord of my life, then
I am lead triumphantly by the Holy Spirit, and my life draws others
to Him instead of pushing them away. I choose everyday whether I
allow myself to be the aroma of Christ—whether
I allow Him to live and love through me. If my heart is truly His—if
my mind is focused on Him—if
I seek Him and obediently live for Him, my life should share His
promise of new life instead of sharing the stench of death which
comes from a self-consumed heart. If my life is not about me, I
offer His life. And through a yielded life, He can draw others to
Him.
If I choose Him as my Lord
instead of the god of “self-pity”, He sets my stony heart free.
If I choose Him over all that I feel that I deserve and allow Him to
guide my heart and claim my mind, I become focused on His will
instead of my own. “For here’s what I’m going to do......” He
promises. “I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you.
I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a
heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed. I’ll put my Spirit in
you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my
commands. You’ll once again live in the land I gave your ancestors.
You’ll be my people! I’ll be your God!” (Ezekiel 36: 26-28,
MSG).
If I draw close to Him, He
will draw close to me. If I choose Him above all else, He will set my
stony heart free. He will be my God in every way. My life will no
longer be consumed with what I want, but with what He wills. If I am
captivated completely by Him, then I shall be the aroma of Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment