Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Aroma that Brings Life
“To the
one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life.
And who is equal to such a task?” (16)
In this day
and age, the use of cologne and perfumes is extremely popular. People
‘present’ themselves to an event wearing a fragrance because it makes one
appear ‘pleasing’ in others’ company. In the Old Testament, several
references allude to worship where the smoke of sacrifices spiraled upward to
God. For every such worship, the head of the household would select from
his flock the finest male lamb to offer to the Lord as a sacrifice. The
lamb had to be without ‘blemish’. "It is a burnt offering, an
offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD" (Lev 1:9 NIV).
It is difficult to conceive that our God enjoyed the smell of burning flesh and
hair. More importantly, God looked for the choice of a perfect,
unblemished animal as representing the best that man could offer to Him.
In the New
Testament, Mary offered to Jesus a costly sacrifice of praise when she lavished
her most prized possession on the Lord. She won His highest commendation,
"Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to
me" (Matt 26:10 NIV). He also memorialized this costly sacrifice.
"I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the
world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her" (Mark 14:8-9
NIV). Here again, the costly and prized perfume is seen as returning to
God the most valuable possession as an acknowledgement of His forgiveness of
our sin and as a gesture of gratitude for having died for us on the cross,
"She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial."
(Mark 14:8 NIV).
“But how can I
provide a pleasing aroma to You, Lord? We don’t do sacrifices anymore like in
the Old Testament, and I am not able to wash your feet like Mary in the New
Testament.” For the Father to sacrifice His Son cost Him everything, the
ultimately expensive sacrifice. We were ransomed, not with perishable things
like silver or gold, not even with fragrances, but with the precious blood of
Christ. What must God have felt when the “aroma” of that offering,
the sacrifice of His precious only Son on the cross, wafted up to heaven? What
then, we ask, compared to Jesus’ offering, could we possibly give in return?
What could be a pleasing or soothing aroma to Him? Ephesians 5:2 says “Be
imitators of God...” Our fragrant offering boils down to love. We
love God and people, but not the way Jesus does! We are reluctant to give
our all, our best. We save back something for ourselves. Sometimes
our offerings are often blemished by self-protection and pride.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the
fragrance of Your Son, help us to share that fragrance with others through Your
love shining in us.
Thought for
the day: What is our
relationship with God and with each other like? Does it need more
fragrance?