"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water'." (John 7:38)




"Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual." (1Cor. 2:12-13)

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Sunday, December 29, 2013

The Fragrance Of Life And The Scent Of Deception


The fragrance of Jesus will become a living aroma in and through us, but only after it has first been used for the purpose of our own burial. 

As aromatic as it is, the fragrance of Christ inevitably gives off a perceived odor of death to self,  foul to the human sense of what life should smell like. This is a lethal deterrent for many, and it is played out in many different ways. 


Some will blatantly oppose it and run as far from it as they can. There are others who appear to embrace this fragrance, yet refuse to become embalmed by it. The 'greater minds' will develop into mere peddlers of His word, while the 'lesser minds' blindly follow. While they speak wonderfully about the fragrance of life, they themselves are unable to emanate it. 

As for those lost sheep whom the Lord has called as His own, they can do nothing else but to become imitators of God's love in triumphal procession with Jesus. 

We know that these truths, wrought by intimacy with our Lord, are not for the purpose of judging another's fate. Rather, by this discernment we will recognize the authentic Body of Christ through which we have pure fellowship in Spirit and in Truth. By our own funeral, we are able to identify every artificial scent that seeks to deceive the elect and we will expose it for the stench that it is.

PJR

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (Ephesians 5:1-2)

2 comments:

  1. Beautiful, Paul.

    Of a less poetic nature, but interesting to the subject nonetheless, I have been recently made aware of a certain herb called "Cilantro" that appears to have a love-hate response in people. The same smell is fresh and delightful to some, but to others it smells rank. I encountered it personally (I for one love it) but discovered extreme responses otherwise. I then discovered web sites devoted to arguing over this poor herb, illustrating to me that even in nature we find the principle at work.

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    1. That is an interesting analogy, one I can relate to because cilantro is very common here and I too love the herb, especially in a fresh salad! I had no idea it was such a controversial herb, being pulled to and fro on websites!

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