Sweet Perfume
Do your words and actions leave people (and God) with a pleasant reaction?
Verse of the Day
“But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God.”
Today’s Devotional
Have you ever considered that you are a captive to God? What comes to your mind when you think of freedom versus captivity? My guess is that we would all prefer freedom if given the choice. But today’s verse tells us to thank God because He has made us His captives.
If we keep reading, we see that this captivity to God leads us to follow the footsteps of Jesus, and that those steps walk us into triumph. Victory. The same victory Jesus had over death.
I don’t know if you have ever experienced bondage by anything in this world, but I have. And I would not wish that kind of misery on anyone. But I can tell you that as I walk in obedience to God, the freedom I now experience is beyond the words I have to describe it. I will take being a captive in God’s Kingdom all day everyday over where I’ve been.
In freedom from worldly bondage and captivity to God, the appropriate response is to live the kind of life that invites others to Jesus, so each person can receive His love, healing, grace, forgiveness, and purpose. When we live in this way, we are perfuming the heavens. Our life becomes a fragrant offering to God.
Let’s talk for a moment about God and the sense of smell. I don’t believe that God has the same five senses that we do, but it appears that God can smell. “On sixteen different occasions in the book of Leviticus, an “aroma” is mentioned as something pleasing to the Lord.” (gotquestions.com) In Genesis 8:21, when God smelled the pleasing aroma of Noah’s sacrifice after the flood, God promised to never again destroy the earth by flooding. In Exodus 30, there is a specific incense that was to be made by a perfumer. This incense was considered holy and was only to be used in front of the ark of the covenant, and was never to be used for personal use. Two of the three gifts that the wise men brought to the infant Jesus were fragrant in nature. In John 12:3, Mary anointed the feet of Jesus with a very expensive perfume. Lastly, Ephesians 5:2 says that Jesus gave himself up as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
So God can smell.
Which makes me ask, how do I smell to God? Is my life a pleasing aroma to my Father?
Since much of the aroma that is pleasing to God revolves around sacrifice, let’s look at a few more verses:
- But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. (Psalms 50:23)
- But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you (Jonah 2:9)
- Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about his glorious acts. (Psalms 107:22)
Gratitude is our sacrifice to God. Offering God our thanks is a pleasing aroma to our Father. How do you want to smell to God?
Today’s Gratitude Challenge: Think of at least two different smells or aromas that you enjoy and give thanks for your sense of smell and for those specific aromas. Maybe pick one sweet smell and one more savory smell.
I can tell you from my experience with Covid, it is very disconcerting and quite disappointing to put my face close to a candle that I know I love, take a deep breath in through my nose, and…nothing. That experience made me much more appreciative of the sense of smell.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
Based on where you are today, how do you think you smell to God?
If gratitude is a pleasing aroma to God, how can you offer Him your heartfelt thanks today?
What are two smells you love for which you are thankful? Don’t forget to offer thanks for your sense of smell, and maybe your other senses as well.
Who or what are you captive to? How do you know?
Do your words and actions leave people (and God) with a pleasant reaction?