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PROGRAM D-7142
I’m talking about what we smell like. Yes, it’s a rather unusual topic, but the Bible tells us that as Christians we should have a distinctive smell. The people we come into contact with each day should know that our fragrance is distinctive.
How well I remember, quite a few years ago now before I was walking with the Lord in obedience, when I was painfully reminded that I didn’t smell like a Christian. A coworker and I were chatting one day, and I mentioned that I went to church. He looked at me and said, “Yeah?” I went on to explain that I always went to church and it was an important part of my life. “Gee, Mary,” he said, “that really surprises me. I never knew you were religious.”
It was like a convicting dagger to my heart, because what he was saying to me was, “You don’t act like I’d expect a real dedicated Christian to act.” Of course he was right. I was not spreading everywhere the fragrance of The Knowledge of Jesus Christ. Sadly many Christians are in that same boat.
Things are a little different now, thank God. When I taught public seminars across the country on business topics, quite often one of the attendees would approach me cautiously, with a questioning look on his or her face, and say something like, “You’re a Christian, aren’t you?” They smelled the aroma of Jesus Christ, and recognized it because they wear the same perfume.
Do people ever smell the fragrance of The Knowledge of Jesus Christ on you? If you’re walking with the Lord on a daily basis, it should happen to you from time to time. Even the strangers you meet for brief moments should be able to detect from your face and your manner that there’s something unusual about you.
Those of us who go out to a working world everyday have a wonderful opportunity to spread this fragrance of Jesus Christ simply by being there. Our lives should carry his beautiful aroma to those people we work with day in and day out. Ask yourself if you smell like Jesus today.