A Lingering Fragrance - Friday June 27, 2014
But thanks be to God, who...through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. 2 Corinthians 2:14 NIV
We smelled it as soon as we opened the doors of our car. A strong scent of men's perfume! We had loaned our car to a friend for a day, and in the short amount of time he had driven it, our car had absorbed his fragrance. It wasn't that the fragrance itself was so awful-but the intensity of the smell produced sensory overload for us.
Our friend, whether due to a developed insensitivity to his perfume, or an intentional move to be noticed, obviously drenched himself with perfume daily. We could usually smell him coming long before we saw him! What was appealing to him wasn't so appealing to others.
Fragrance: it can be pleasant and appealing, or it can be overwhelmingly offending, or even repulsive. Interestingly, the apostle Paul wrote about this very thing in 2 Corinthians 2. As Christians surrounded with people in a darkened world, we emit a fragrance. To those who are being saved, ours is called "The Fragrance of Life." It is a refreshing, light, and attractive scent. But to those who are perishing, ours is the "Smell of Death"-heavy, convicting, and often unwelcome.
Thinking of our "fragrant friend," I am reminded that I carry a fragrance with me everywhere I go. It is not a designer brand, but rather a heavenly one. My prayer is that instead of being drenched with perfume, I would be drenched with the Spirit of God, and that His fragrance would impact those around me in a way pleasing to Him. Just the right amount of fragrance (Life or Death) applied to the need of the moment will linger and have its effect.
Submitted by:
Dawn Bovenmyer
Stonebrook Community Church
Ames, Iowa
One-Year Reading Plan:
2 Kings 10:32-12:21
Acts 18:1-22
Psalms 145:1-21
Proverbs 18:1
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