Take a deep breath. What do you smell? Is it sweet and inviting? Hopefully, it isn’t harsh and offensive. Sweet and inviting is better, much much better.
Years ago, my mother moved to Dillon, MT where Dave and I lived. Right outside the back door of her duplex was a tall lilac bush. Each time she opened the door to walk out she would be greeted with the smell of lilac. She told me that she remembered being a small girl and smelling lilacs at her home. That smell, that sweet odor, reminded her of home!
Have you ever walked through a rose garden when it’s in bloom or sat on a bench surrounded by gardenias? Our sense of smell is very strong. It can warn us of danger, like a skunk or fire, or it can bring us comfort and consolation.
In the Old Testament, offerings of thanksgiving to God were to be a mixture of fine flour, olive oil and incense. When they were burned by the priest, the offering had a sweet odor that was pleasing to the Lord.
The Apostle Paul tells us we are to offer our bodies, our lives, to the Lord as a living sacrifice. So this begs the question, what fragrance does my life emit?
“Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That’s the most sensible way to serve God. 2 Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.” Romans 12:1-2 CEV
Is my life pure and pleasing? Is it one with the sweet smell of thanksgiving? Do I spend more time thanking God for His goodness and His love than I do complaining about how things could/should/would be better “if only”?
As Christians – Christ like ones – our lives should be an offering that pleases the Father.
“Do as God does. After all, you are his dear children. 2 Let love be your guide. Christ loved us and offered his life for us as a sacrifice that pleases God.” Ephesians 5:1-2 CEV
We are to be like Christ and our lives should be like His, a sacrifice that pleases God. Just as the priests presented the sacrifices to the Lord and it pleased Him, we should offer our lives as a pleasing sacrifice.
It’s not only the Father who notices that the fragrance of our lives, those around us will notice too.
“I am grateful that God always makes it possible for Christ to lead us to victory. God also helps us spread the knowledge about Christ everywhere, and this knowledge is like the smell of perfume. 15 In fact, God thinks of us as a perfume that brings Christ to everyone. ” II Corinthians 2:14-15 CEV
During this week of Easter I desire that my life smells sweet with praise and thanksgiving to the Father and forgiveness and love to those I meet. I desire to release the sweet fragrance of love.