There is a sweet smelling aroma in serving Christ!
“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?” – 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 NASB
Our Lord Jesus offers us victory 24 hours, 7 days a week, always and forever! God leads us into victory and and gives us a sweet smelling aroma of knowledge of Him everywhere! This aroma brings fragrance of Christ in us that brings life to people around us who loves Christ and death to those who rejects Christ. This is the God we worship! He does not play favorites whether you are young or old, black or white, rich or poor. He treats us equally. Either we can have this sweet smelling aroma or we reject it and keep our foul odor.
In a very filthy prison, Paul was rejoicing every time. God is producing a sweet aroma in Paul. In the middle of night, He and Silas were singing their hearts out to the LORD. They don’t care what the other prisoners and the guards will say. They just allow this sweet smelling aroma of Christ in them to spread it’s fragrance. And it accomplished it’s purpose!
Let us read these biblical accounts in Acts 16:25-38:
25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”
29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.
We need this sweet smelling aroma of Christ as a vocal witness for Him. As pilgrims of this world, we are surrounded by people who are hungry for Christ and those who reject Christ. We have a responsibility to reach out and lead people to a life of triumph and victory.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”
Philippians 4:4 NASB
Victory in Jesus!
Tags: sweet aroma in Christ, triumph in Christ, victory in Jesus, devotional