The Aroma

UV 901/10,000 The Aroma “But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.” 2 Corinthians 2 v 14 We need to thank the Lord for every triumph He has led us into. Christ Jesus leads the triumphal procession of history. He declares everyone of us a winner. He has defeated the foe and his plans to kill, destroy and steal our peace, our health, our unity and our abundance. The plans that God has for us which are to give us hope and a future in eternity will succeed instead. It is this hope of Christ in us who bestows and shares His ineffable greatness or glory with us that makes us fresh and fragrant. The smell of death and all threat of rottenness in our lives is gone and we begin to smell like the Rose of Sharon. The fragrance of Christ is the unspoken but strongly experienced witness of His grace in our lives. Not only do we experience the aroma of Christ, we begin to spread the aroma wherever we go so that others will come into a personal knowledge or relationship with Christ, the all conquering King and in turn experience the fragrance and join the triumphal procession. The redeemed of the Lord are portrayed as soldiers returning after a hard fought and won victory to the Kingdom of God. The soldiers are full of rejoicing and gratitude to God that they have escaped death on the battlefields of earth. Instead, they carry the spoils and enjoy privileges of victory. It is the duty of the soldiers to recruit more souls to swell the ranks of the army of God. We are a sweet smelling and living offering unto the Lord. The aroma or fragrance is a metaphor for our winning ways by which we touch the lives of others. It is said that even the wall on which the jasmine plant leans smells of the fragrance of the flower. As we lean on the Lord, His aroma will pervade our inner being. Just as one cannot stop the aroma of a sweet smelling flower or perfume from spreading everywhere, the aroma of Christ spreads throughout the world and the universe, drawing many to cling, to lean and to be attached to Him. Prateep V Philip