The aroma of Christ

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. II Corinthians 2: 14 – 16

The wonderful thing about a pleasing aroma is that though you cannot see it, you can smell it which is such a wonderful thing. Aroma here of course is speaking about being an influence or witness for Christ because we bring the pleasing aroma or presence of Christ wherever we go. We may not be able to see our influence but it is there affecting those we come into contact with.

I am always amazed when people start talking to me about my being a Christian when I have not said a word to them about my faith. Have you walked into a crowded room and known immediately that some other people are Christians? It is the aroma of Christ that they carry. However if people can smell Jesus on us how we behave will be a powerful testimony or a real turn off. Non Christians can smell hypocrisy as well as the aroma of Christ so we must be careful that our testimony is truthful and real.

There is the story of a pastor who regularly travelled on a bus and one day the driver gave him too much change. The pastor pointed this out and returned the extra money to which the bus driver said, ‘I knew you were a pastor and I wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. Now I know you are honest I’m coming to your church on Sunday’. Joyce Meyer also talks about going to a restaurant with a party of friends and getting awful service from a young waitress culminating in her spilling something in Joyce Meyer’s lap. Full of nervous anxiety, the waitress apologised which Joyce graciously accepted and she explained that she was new in the job and knew who Joyce was and therefore was very nervous about serving her which was why the service was so bad. Joyce said she was very glad she had not been impatient or rude and demanding as that would have been a terrible witness.

People often know we are Christians because we carry the aroma of Christ in us so it is important we behave with the highest levels of integrity and honesty in the workplace, school, supermarket, home, restaurant wherever. Let the fragrance of Christ in us be a pleasing aroma to everyone around us so we bring the life of Christ wherever we go.

God delights in us

The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3: 17

This has to be one of my favourite verses in the Bible. If ever we want an insight into the Father heart of God's love for us, this verse has to one of the best.

God is with us. At this moment God is with you wherever you are and it is not a passive God is just in the room but God is there, active on our behalf, involved and interested even in the minutiae of our lives. He is mighty to save. There is no situation or circumstance that God cannot save you from even if it is something that has arisen from a mistake or foolishness on your part. God is ready to intervene and save you right now.

God takes delight in us. This is a truth that so many Christians struggle with. How can God love me with my life in such a mess? Or how can the Creator of the universe love little old insignificant me? However, he delights in you – this does not mean just that you please him but that he takes great pleasure in you. He smiles when he looks at you. He laughs with you just as a proud parent laughs and takes great pleasure in their child so God takes great delight in you.

He quiets us with his love. Just as an agitated and upset child needs soothing, so God soothes and quiets us with his unconditional (absolutely no conditions) love. He is singing over us right now, rejoicing in us. We are so pleasing to God.

Last year my husband and I were in New York having lunch in the very crowded Grand Central Station Food Court. There were only two spaces to sit at a table with two men who were already having a deep discussion. As we ate our meal I listened to the conversation and it was obviously a pastoral meeting and one of the two men’s lives seemed to be in a bit of a mess. As I continued to listen I asked if I could say something which the pastor graciously agreed to. I just started to share with this big black American how much God loved him and had such a wonderful plan for his life so much better than the things he was planning or doing (all of which seemed to be not much help). As we shared the love of God and his desire to draw this man back into his arms, tears fell down his face.  He was deeply touched.  We left promising to pray for him and reminding him that if he doubted God’s love, he must remember that God sent two British people to sit next to him in Grand Central Station to tell him how much he loved him.

God delights in us. We please him greatly. There are no circumstances that exclude you from his love and pleasure. None.  If circumstances have overtaken you recently and you feel like God is far off or even if you are struggling to grasp how much you please God; just declare over yourself right now ‘God delights in me. He is rejoicing over me with singing. I am pleasing to God.’