Dear Friends,
As believers, we are the fragrance of Christ in the earth. 2 Corinthians 2:15 says, “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” We are either the person who smells nice or we are the person who smells rotten. Everywhere we go, we are spreading the aroma of Christ to this fallen world.
The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Cor. 3:2-3 that, “You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.” Your life is an epistle of Christ, a letter of His love towards mankind. I pray that as we live our lives for Jesus, people would encounter Jesus who lives in us. This is the fragrance of Christ Paul talks about. We are an epistle, a letter, known and read by all men.
It’s a great responsibility to represent God in the earth. May we be a sweet smelling aroma to those we come in contact with. May they see and encounter Jesus in us. Someone once told me that they saw Jesus in my eyes. I wasn’t sure what to say as it took me off guard. I only thanked them for saying such a nice thing. Evangelist Bonnke was once told the same thing and his answer was much better than mine. He said, “Oh, thank you. Jesus lives inside of me and sometimes He likes to look out the windows.” Praise God! He lives in us. It’s no longer I that lives, but Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2:20). May the world see Jesus in all of us.
Often times when I go on a long trip and my wife Amanda isn’t able to come with, she will hide a note in my suitcase and on the note she will spray her perfume. It’s something that I always love and brings a smile to my face. That fragrance is one I love to smell. That fragrance is one that reminds me of her and it reminds me of her love toward me. This is what God is calling us to do. We are to spread the message of God’s love by preaching the Gospel and living our lives as the fragrance of Christ. When they hear this message, they should smell the love of the Father.
In the next chapter, 2 Cor. 3:18, Paul writes, “But we all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory just as by the Spirit of the Lord”. God is calling us to behold Him and be transformed into His image, from glory to glory. We are to be the resemblance of Christ in this earth. What does that look like? It looks like Jesus. It looks like a Christ-ian or one who lives for and looks like Christ. When we read the scriptures we see how Jesus lived and our lives should resemble Him. The word “Christian” literally means, “little Christ”. The fragrance and aroma of Christ in us is revealed to those around us when we live like Jesus lived; loving God and loving people, healing the sick, preaching the Gospel, loving the least of these and loving all of these.
Hebrews 1:1-3 says that, “Jesus was the express image of the invisible God.” Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” It’s up to us to reveal God to the world around us, through our lives and through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We cannot afford to allow our own agenda, our pride or our sin to get in the way of preaching the Gospel and being the fragrance of God in this earth. You might be the only person to represent Jesus to another person. You might be the only one who has the message of hope, love and salvation to someone. We only have so much time here to make a difference. We only have one life to live for Jesus. Let’s spread the aroma of Christ, the aroma of His love and His glorious Gospel in all the earth to all men.
God bless you!
Chris Mikkelson
