I can appreciate a good smell as much as the next guy, but I also have a pretty good nose for detecting something foul. When you really think about it, that is simply one of the attributes of being created in the image of God… and we all were, by the way.
I don’t really know anyone who actually enjoys bad smells or rotten things. I mean you’re just not likely to hear someone telling you about the dead skunk that they drove over in the road and their anticipation for traveling back that direction again because it smelled so good.
Throughout scripture, you can find verses stating how the Lord was pleased with the sweet smelling aroma of the sacrifices burnt over the fire. That’s Bible talk for… “He really enjoyed the smell of the BarBQ”. I know it may be difficult for some people to think about God that way, but work with me. We are told in Genesis 8:21 that the Lord was so pleased with the smell of the sacrifices (BarBQ) that He started talking to himself and making promises. Then the next thing you know… BAM!... He creates a rainbow. Now that’s a pretty amazing response to the smell of good cooking.
The Lord also responded in a pretty amazing way to the smell of something dead and rotten. This I can certainly relate to and if you ask my wife, she’ll tell you that I’m a bit of a freak when it comes to product expiration dates… or needing to know how long something has been in the refrigerator. This is really more of a conditioned response than anything else. Years ago I believe I was scared for life after whipping into a drive through for a quick breakfast biscuit and a milk. In a hurry and without giving any consideration to the expiration date on the milk, I tossed back a big gulp of cottage cheese. From that point on, the “good by date” for me means “Good Bye”.
Well, just like that milk, we are all dead and rotten… without Christ that is. See, even though we are created in the image of God, we are still spiritually dead without Him. And I for one like God’s response to that… Instead of just tossing us out and saying “Good Bye” like rotten milk. Ephesians 5:2 tells us that even though we were rotten, “Christ loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.”
He took care of our smell by taking care of our condition spiritually. And now we have the opportunity to go through life, not smelling like a hangover, or anything else dead and rotten for that matter, but we can smell like Jesus.

2 Corinthians 2:14-15 NKJV
14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ…

Greg Richards is the Senior Pastor of Life Church, located at 607 E. Fair in Kaufman. For more information or service times go to www.yourlifechurch.com.