2 Corinthians 2:14-17 “But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.

Have you ever driven or walked past a garbage truck that has leaked out some of its juices?  The smell of decay is very poignant and clings to everything around it.  The workers that work on it often themselves wear masks to eradicate some of the smell.  However, the aroma of garbage and decay still clings to their bodies and perhaps only a long time scrubbing away in the bathroom will take away the smell. 

Most of us are not comfortable with the subject of garbage and yet everyday we generate it in volumes.  Imagine what our world would look like if the garbage that the six (6) billion of us and counting generated was not collected!  The aroma of garbage, death and decay would be part of our everyday atmosphere everywhere. 

God wants us to know that interestingly the aroma of garbage, decay and death is indeed everywhere.  People are dying each minute surrounded by the aroma of death.  They are dying for lack of knowledge of Christ. They don’t know that all have sinned and come short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23).  They don’t know that we cannot redeem ourselves from the aroma of death and decay for our righteous acts are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).  They don’t know that only Jesus saves, Jesus heals, Jesus sanctifies, and Jesus purifies us. How will they know unless we who have been purified from the atmosphere of death,decay and garbage  tell them and spread the pleasing aroma of the knowledge of Christ that brings life everywhere we go? 

Jesus replaces the aroma of death, decay and garbage with his pleasing aroma of life encased with the knowledge of Him.     We are His chosen people have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light to show and prove to those that are perishing the difference that Christ has made in ourselves.

Let us examine ourselves to see what type of aroma we are releasing into the atmosphere around us?  Is it death, decay and garbage or is it the pleasing aroma of abundant, everlasting life?  We have got to spread the good news that people don’t have to be living with garbage, decay and death anymore.  They can experience the abundant life that is found only in Jesus Christ.  Spread Christ’s aroma today, the world is waiting on you. 

PRAYER

Father I have gotten so comfortable with your pleasing aroma that I have forgotten that others are still surrounded by the aroma of death and decay.  Forgive me for being so comfortable and help me to spread your knowledge to the dying all around me.  In the name of Jesus who died and rose again that we might live.  Amen