Do You Smell Good?

When we are believers, we have an aroma about us that is distinct and very noticeable. It is so fragrant that those who are lost are drawn to ask what we have in our lives, and that is our chance to say the obvious for us, and that is "We have Jesus. In his letter to the Ephesians, he wrote the following: Ephesians 5: 1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. The sacrifice of Jesus has a wonderful odor, and the odor is love being poured out from a perfect heart. When we are born again, that fragrance is built into each of us, and the Holy Spirit will turn the fragrance up if we will just follow Him by asking Him to fill us up to the top. The overflowing aroma is pure Holy Spirit, and that fragrance makes us smell like Jesus is in our hearts, because He is in control and He has made us a new creation.

Some people don't believe there is a difference when we are saved, but we can't help but be different, and it is not us, but the Holy Spirit. I just put a new Frebreeze good-smelling thing in my FJ, and the fragrance smells just like leather, and I love the smell of leather. That fragrance has a lot of memories attached to it, and I gladly smell it when I turn the vents on. When we begin to grow in our faith walk and get deeper into God's Word, that aroma smells like righteousness, God's righteousness, and that smell reminds us of that moment in time when we gave our lives to Jesus, and He saved us. Oh, I really love that aroma and long to smell it often as I attempt to live a life that is different than this world. Paul goes on in Ephesians, and he gets "real" specific about the things that should not be in our lives. Ephesians 5: ³ Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. ⁴ Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. ⁵ You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. ⁶ Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him.⁷ Don’t participate in the things these people do. ⁸ For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! ⁹ For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. ¹⁰ Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. ¹¹ Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. ¹² It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. ¹³ But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, ¹⁴ for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

Paul keeps us longing for that sweet aroma and warns us not to let anything enter our lives that distracts from that aroma. Do you smell good? I am asking myself that right now.

The Pilgrimage Continues,

David Warren