Today’s Devotion
Topic: The Right Aroma
Text: 2 Corinthians 2: 15
For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. Amen.
An aroma is a distinctive, typically pervasive pleasant smell. Mostly, given the same circumstance, it should smell the same as its typically known to do, all the time. Apostle Paul calls us “THE AROMA OF CHRIST”. This simply means believers are either the Jesus that others seek to smell, or that believers are to exhale the very pleasant fragrance that Christ is known for, without fail.
The question is whether we’re truly living, working and worshiping as heavenly fragrances that inspire the saved and attract the lost to Jesus, or we are the stench that everyone avoids? Sometimes, it is in the attitude. Other times, our thoughts and words.
When we claim to know and love God with all our hearts yet repel everyone around us with our negative words and “unchristlike” behaviours, then there’s a problem. When there is no difference between us and those who do not know the Lord, then something is definitely wrong.
The other day, “Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.” (Acts 16: 1- 2) This is not to suggest that all must speak well of us to prove we are a sweet aroma. No!Admittedly, sometimes, people may even despise us just for being like Christ. So, there’s no controversy about that.
But when even fellow believers who seek after Jesus sincerely and earnestly just as you claim to do, struggle to identify the Jesus in you; and would rather excuse your quarrelsome, hateful, abusive, proud and lustful nature from their meetings; and the people in your household and office can’t stand your constant excuses to work, sluggishness, pilfering, lies, gossip insensitive treatment of subordinates; then it’s time for some personal reflections and self-examination.
In Acts Chapter 11, we see that the persecution of the church after Stephen was killed caused some believers to travel as far as Cyprus and Antioch, preaching the gospel. The hand of the Lord was on them. A great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
When Barnabas arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He (himself) was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.
Begin to pray now. Ask the Holy Spirit to make your life a sweet aroma as He did for Timothy and Barnabas. Also intercede for all believers. Pray that we may produce the aroma of Christ just like those who were in Antioch; a people whose lives emulate Christ — not by title but by decisions, choices, actions and speech.
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