The Aroma of Christ: How Your Life Influences Others More Than You Realize

Summary

Using the illustration of deer following a scent trail, this devotional explores how influence often works invisibly. Just as scent guides animals and affects human behavior, believers carry the “aroma of Christ.” Through surrendered lives and faithful service, Christians spread the knowledge of Jesus. This spiritual fragrance draws some to life in Christ while repelling others. Only God’s grace enables us to be a pleasing aroma in a broken world.

A Morning Observation in the Backyard

I was sitting in a chair in my office and looking out the window one morning in mid-November 2022. Unexpectedly, a whitetail deer walked through the yard from my left to my right.

She was about thirty feet from my window and walking toward a wooded area behind the house to my right. Several minutes passed.

Then, I saw another deer with its nose close to the ground following the same path as the previous deer. Several minutes later, a third deer followed the same track in the same way as the second deer.

I reasoned that the second and third deer followed the scent of the first deer that crossed the yard. She was probably their mother. She was out of sight, but they followed her scent.

The Power of Scent in Creation

A little research proved my suspicion was probably correct. Scientists at Mississippi State University concluded that a whitetail’s sense of smell is up to one thousand times better than that of humans.¹ Nevertheless, our sense of smell tells us far more than we realize.

How Smell Shapes Human Behavior

No two humans have the same scent. Subconsciously, these odors affect our behavior in many ways. Newborns recognize their mother’s scent by their second day of life.

Studies suggest that our emotions have a scent that other humans can detect, and smelling them can lead to feeling those same emotions. For example, smelling fear in others makes us anxious. In addition, we can detect sickness and eliminate incompatible partners by their odor without realizing what is happening.²

Following the Unseen Trail

I wonder if others subconsciously detect the scent of the love, joy, and peace we have in Jesus. Maybe.

The Biblical Aroma of Christ

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?” (2 Corinthians 2:14-16 NIV)

Living as a Pleasing Sacrifice

The Greek word rendered “pleasing aroma” is used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament to describe God-pleasing sacrifices (Numbers 15:3). Jesus’ death on the cross was such a sacrifice. Likewise, surrendering our resources to serve God and others smells like the most expensive perfume to God (Romans 12:1).

Attracting or Repelling Through Christ

The Christ-like allure of our message and sacrifice attracts some and repels others. Only by God’s grace can we be the sweet perfume of Christ in a land fouled with the stench of sin and death. See additional free spiritual growth resources for Christians.  #freediscipleshipresources #freeevangelismresources #freechristianleadershipresources

1.      Whitetail Sense of Smell Explained (timetogowild.com)

2.      The Sense of Smell in Humans is More Powerful Than We Think | Discover Magazine

God has empowered me to write His Power for Your Weakness—260 Steps Toward Spiritual Strength. It’s a free, evangelistic, devotional, and discipleship e-book. Pastors have used it in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia to lead 7,541 people to Christ and teach the basics of Christianity to 17,361 people. I invite you to explore and use it in your setting. 

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