What do fragrance and spoken words have in common? And why do we urgently need them during this time of pandemic crisis?
Fragrance and spoken words share one thing in common--they influence. The other day I walked into a public restroom, and I was met with a very strong and pleasant fragrance. I could tell it was a fragrance a male would use. As my senses encountered the pleasant smell, my experience in that bathroom changed. I went from that strange feeling sometimes I get when using a facility that is not what I am used to at home to hey, I feel welcomed and comfortable here! Weird as it may sound, the fragrance I encountered that day influenced my experience.
Spoken words have no less influence. We all know that, right? Did you notice where your thoughts went when I posed the question this way? Spoken words can encourage or discourage someone. They can confront or affirm our thoughts. Some words can build or destroy aspirations, hopes and even dreams. There are words that welcome us, and there are words that make us feel as alienated as if we were actually geographically distant from the person uttering those words.
Influence. Fragrance and spoken words exercise inescapable influence!
The apostle Paul speaks about both of these realities in 2 Corinthians 2:14 and Ephesians 6:19 (I encourage you to read these!).
In the former passage, Paul affirms that God always leads His children in "triumphant procession" in Christ, and that God also makes the "fragrance of His knowledge" known everywhere His children go.
In the latter passage, Paul asks other believers in his time to pray so that he will be given "divine words" when he boldly speaks to reveal the mystery of the Gospel.
These two passages clearly demonstrate that as the children of God we bear the "fragrance of His knowledge" and we can potentially speak "divine words" that reveal the mystery of the Gospel of Jesus.
One application I see is that whatever fills us these days will translate into the fragrance we carry wherever we go, or wherever we are staying. If fear fills you…the fragrance you carry will most likely be fear. If hope informed by who God is and what He says fills you..then the fragrance you spread around will have a different influence. The good news is that God does offer to fill His children, with all of Christ’s resources and life, through His Holy Spirit.
Here is another application that is accessible to all disciples of Jesus. We can pray! We can, like the Ephesian believers, ask that God will give His children around the world "divine words" to reveal the mystery of the Gospel to a land that is in need of knowing and accessing our marvelous God! We can also keep it personal and ask God to give each one of us opportunities to do so. The good news is that the Holy Spirit is constantly looking for disciples willing to partner with Him in what He is doing in this world. Even better, He promises to empower you so as to bring glory to Jesus!
What are you filling yourself with in these days?
What do most of your prayers sound like?
How is the Holy Spirit inviting you to partner with Him?
We can wear the best fragrance and lead the world around us with words of life given to us.
—Diego Cuartas
