2 Corinthians 2:15 states, "For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." As said, Christians have to lead many people to the bosom of the Lord by giving out the fragrance of Christ and becoming the light and salt of the world. What, then, is the fragrance of Christ like?
The fragrance of humbleness and service
Jesus said in Matthew 20:28, "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." The people around Jesus felt His humbleness and service.
Jesus is the Son of God, and He performed signs, wonders, and amazing powerful works so that people could believe He is the Savior.
However, He did not want to be served. Rather He lowered Himself and served people. He sometimes could not eat or sleep because there were so many people coming to Him. He served them from the depth of His heart. The fragrance of His humbleness and service touched and changed the hearts of people.
Thus, Christians should follow His example by humbling themselves and serving others, and thereby give out the Christ's fragrance of humbleness and service.
The thing is, you should give out the fragrance naturally from the heart, not from well-refined manners or education that are of form without heart. Only then can you open the heart of others and gain their trust. The gospel you try to deliver to them can then be planted in their hearts.
Some people seem to humbly greet their superior, but they speak ill of him behind his back. Some superiors do not return their subordinates' greetings or they do not even acknowledge their subordinates' greetings. These actions are far from humbleness and service.
Some people may feel upset and even get angry when they are scolded for their mistakes, when they are admonished or given advice. In this case, they should be aware of the desire to be lifted up and served in their hearts. Because of such attributes in the heart they hate to listen to admonishment or comments revealing their shortcomings.
Or, when someone says something that is against your thought, you may pass judgment on his remark based on your own viewpoints. But in most cases your judgment may be different from the fact.
That is, when you put yourself higher than the person, you may feel uncomfortable and it may lead to conflicts with him. However, if you lower yourself and try to understand him, you will not cause any trouble with him. To understand him, it is very important that you should listen to him until he finishes his sentences. Then, you can better understand why he had to say what he did. You can also feel what he has in his heart like his hope to be loved, or a desire to gain more recognition, or a wish to do better on something. Then, you can give better answers to him.
This fragrance of Christ that is given out in humbleness and service will surely touch others' hearts.
The fragrance of love
Although Peter denied Jesus three times, Jesus never forsook him. He rather understood his weakness, forgave him, and strengthened him again. Paul at one time pursued and persecuted those who believed in the Lord Jesus, but the Lord came to him, forgave him, and made him His apostle. This love of the Lord renewed them and made them His apostles.
It's the same with us. The love of the Lord's cross melted our heart. The Lord was scourged all over His body, wore the crown of thorns, and His hands and feet were nailed through on the cross. In the end, He died on the cross shedding all His blood to save us when we didn't even know Him or believe in Him. As we realize the love of His cross, we may feel thankful and shed many tears. When we keep the love of the Lord who sacrificed completely for us and we show the love to others, we can give out the fragrance of Christ.
It's the love that doesn't want anything in return. It is the love that continually gives unsparingly. It is the love that forgives even those who harm us as the Lord forgives us of our sin and iniquities. If we emit this fragrance of love, other people can feel it and change. Spiritual love can melt the heart that is as cold as ice, and it can soften the hardened heart.
Those who give out this kind of spiritual love will be loved by others, too. Some of you may think, "Why am I not loved by others? Is it because my physical appearance or my social status is not good enough?" You don't have to try to gain such fleshly love. Fleshly love won't last long. It is just temporary. Such love can change easily when your physical attributes change or when someone who is better shows up.
In order to gain unchanging, true love, your spirit, which is the essence of your being, should be renewed. That is, you should have the heart of goodness void of evil and the heart of spirit without flesh. When you give out the fragrance of Christ with the heart, you will be definitely loved by others. Such love is true.
The fragrance of love that comes out from the heart of spirit can touch the heart of everybody. It is soft, warm, and true. When you give out such fragrance, people will open their hearts to you and give love from the depth of their heart back to you.
True love is to care for everything that belongs to the other person because you love the spirit of that person so much. God the Father also loves our spirits, not our appearances (1 Samuel 16:7). It is from our hearts that we also believe and love God who is not seen.
Proverbs 8:17 reads, "I love those who love me; and those who diligently seek me will find me." If we keep God's commandments because we love Him, our souls will prosper, everything will go well with us, and we will receive the blessing of good health. That is, we can receive love from God, experience Him, and enjoy lives of abundance even on the earth.
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