Fragrant

Not long ago, I opened the worn cover of my mother’s much-read Bible in search of dates from the family tree that I knew she had carefully tended. To my delight, as the pages turned, my nostrils were filled with the whispered fragrance of my mother. More precisely, it was a trace of her favorite perfume that was carried into the air by the motion of the pages.

This was not the first time that I opened something that belonged to my mother – a storage container, a box of letters, a photo album, her cedar chest, or one of her books – to find Mom’s fragrant presence still lingering. Each time tugged at my heart and was a sweet reminder of my momma. I pray that her fragrance never fades.

But the fragrance of her life was more than the fading wisps of Estee Lauder that still cling to the physical remnants of what was her life. It was the way that she lived her life – certainly not perfectly – but purposefully. Doing her best, with God’s help, to live obediently and in a manner pleasing to her heavenly Father, and in doing so, she loved and served others well.

What a delight it is to know that as obedient, surrendered children of God, our lives are (or should be) a fragrant offering to our Father.

Furthermore, if our lives are the aromatic offering that they are intended to be, God will use us to spread the sweet fragrance of His redeeming love and grace to all we meet. The fragrant life of a believer can be used to point the way to Jesus and help convince and convict those in need of the Savior.

“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.” 2 Corinthians 2:15-16

 “As a pleasing aroma I will accept you when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. And I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations.” Ezekiel 20:41

If we are honest, most of us would have to admit that “fragrant” is not a word that would be used to describe us at the time of our conversion. So, how do we move from not-so-fragrant (maybe even downright stinky) to a pleasing aroma?

The perfume-making process provides an apt analogy for the process of moving from not-so-fragrant (possibly smelly) to a pleasing fragrant offering acceptable to God:

1. The Perfumer gathers the materials used to make the perfume.

— God’s Holy Spirit brings together your circumstances, the condition of your heart, the recognition of your sinful condition, and the realization of your need for a Savior with the saving gospel of Jesus Christ and God’s loving forgiveness. John 16:5-15,

2. The fragrance-producing oils must be extracted through one of the multiple vigorous extraction methods used by perfumers, including heat, boiling water, extreme pressure, friction, squeezing, or extended soaking in heated fats.  

— The Holy Spirit begins His work of sanctification and transformation in your life – a process that will be difficult, painful, challenging, and demanding. But every step of the way with purpose and intention to make you into a new creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 Peter 1:6-7

3. The extracted oils are blended to create the fragrance.

— In the willing and surrendered believer, God brings together the gifts, talents, skills, and callings to equip and enable you to be all that He intends for you. Ephesians 4:11-14, Hebrews 13:20-21

4. The blended oils are aged, much like a fine wine.

— It takes time. It’s not an overnight process, God’s refining work in us is a process. To a great extent, the length of the process depends on our willingness to submit ourselves wholeheartedly to Him. James 5:7-8

5. At each step of the process, great attention is given to quality control to ensure the purity and potency of the perfume and its fragrance.

— The Holy Spirit convicts of sin, guides, corrects, and disciplines as needed – all to transform us into the image of Christ. John 14:16, 16:12-14, 2 Corinthians 3:18, James 1:2-4

One last thought, when perfume is exposed to heat – whether it is the warmth of the body or a flame (ex. Scented candle) – the fragrance strengthens and intensifies, it radiates further and more completely saturates its surrounding space with its aroma.

In like manner, the fragrance of a faithful, obedient believer is more fully realized when the heat of trials, tests, and troubles is applied. Those are the times that can intensify the depth of our faith and expand the reach of our testimony.

In Philippians, Paul commends the Church in Philippi for the gifts they sent to him while he was imprisoned. He refers to them as a “fragrant offering” – an acceptable and pleasing sacrifice to God.

“I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.” Philippians 4:18

An ESV Note for Philippians 4:18 says, “While the literal offerings of the OT system have been done away with in Christ, the principle behind them of costly devotion to God remains.”

The costly devotion – that is, the heart attitude of the gift-giver and the personal, sacrificial cost associated with the giving of the gift – whether it is a monetary or physical gift, a service offered, or a life lived – that is what makes an acceptable and pleasing fragrant offering to God.

Our best and greatest example – as in all things – is our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ, whose costly devotion to His Father and His immeasurable love for all mankind took Him to the cross. The most fragrant of all offerings.  

“And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:2

Is your life a fragrant testimony pointing others to God?

One day when your time on earth has passed, will someone pick up your Bible, and as they turn through the pages, will they think of the fragrant life that you led – the love you showed, the joy you shared, and the Savior that you served?

Father God, may my life be a fragrant offering to You. Amen and Amen.