Today as I was getting ready, I had the word “fragrance” come to mind. As I walked to the office, I was thinking about what it is to be the fragrance of Christ.

“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing…”

The first thing I realise is that we are the aroma of Christ to God. The Father recognises, pays attention to, and responds to the aroma of Jesus. That is important for us all. Where Jesus is, there is an aroma, and where there is the aroma of Jesus, there he is! And the Father loves the aroma of his son, and will move and act and respond to that aroma.

You see the fragrance of Christ is unique. It cannot be copied, faked, or reproduced. The fragrance of Christ comes solely from Christ himself. This fragrance can only come from us from a living Christ within us. ‘Within us.’ That’s also important.

Let’s put it this way. Just because a person sprays her fragrance on the outside, it does not make them Beyonce (or any other celebrity who has a perfume…) And so we can spray what we think is the fragrance of Christ on the outside of us, fooling many and even ourselves; the fragrance of knowing the bible inside out but without having the Living Word dwelling in us; The fragrance of what appears to be good and kind, but has an ulterior motive and comes from our own ego and selfishness; the fragrance that seems like we’re promoting Jesus when we are actually promoting ourselves. And people can believe and think it is Jesus, but when it all comes down to it, we will find that the fake fragrance wears off, and we are left smelling like us. Which at times isn’t particularly nice, at least that’s what I find.

The only way to wear the aroma of Christ is to have the living Christ within us. The only way “the fragrance of the knowledge of him” is spread everywhere is to have the living Christ within! God spreads the fragrance, we are just receivers of the living Christ. Like a fragrance bottle, we are simply the containers for the living Christ who alone smells like himself!

But it raises questions.

What do I smell like? Do I smell like something, or someone? When I’m in the company of others, what do I smell like? When I’m at work, what do I smell like? When I’m alone, what do I smell like? With my family? Friends? Does my whole life smell like Jesus, and can the Father spread the fragrance of Christ everywhere because the living Christ is within me?

Let’s each of us seek to be the fragrance of Christ by no other means than containing a living Christ within us. Allow the Father, through us, to spread the fragrance of Jesus everywhere.

Eat the Bread, drink the Living Water. Smell like Jesus.