As I sit here, praying, reading a devotional, and studying God's Word, my senses are overwhelmed with the sweet aroma of the blossoms. Joy consumes my heart as I remember the depth of love these flowers represent. Not just young, unproven love, but tried love. Love that has walked many difficult paths and that has held true through the "better or worse," the "richer or poorer," the "in sickness and in health" of our wedding vows. The love of this man who walks beside me has proven steady and true. I rest secure in his love for me.
The sweet fragrance of the flowers reminds my heart of this human love before filling my mind with the Word of God:.
"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 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?"
2Corinthians 2:14-15 (NASB)
What lofty thoughts and what a poetic picture. Just like the flowers release a sweet aroma that reminds me of my husband's love, Christ in me releases a sweet aroma to those who are with me. I carry the knowledge of Christ to every place I go. In Christ, you carry His sweet aroma wherever you go. The difficult knowledge is that some will see the aroma of Christ as death, just like the flowers cause sneezing and misery to someone with allergies. Yet, others will receive the fragrant aroma of Christ as life, recognizing His great love for them. In this, my heart rejoices even more.
What a privilege, to carry , exude, the very essence and fragrance of Christ...and the very essence of Christ is the aroma of life. My heart is filled up to overflowing with the thought of those who receive the aroma of Christ as life. These are the ones who understand that His love was tried at the cross, proven true, and in His resurrection is the promise of love eternal. Eternal love. Not human love that fails at death, that may falter with fear, that stumbles in the dark. No. Christ's love is eternal, everlasting, never failing, unaffected by physical death. This is the aroma we carry when we carry Christ with us. Proven love. True love. We carry the love that the world needs.
Praising God for His truth! Today may we be humbled by the thought that God manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Christ every place we go! May our lives reflect His character as we lean in to Him and rely on His strength. Really, "who is adequate for these things?"
