“But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭2:14-16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I am one of those people who likes to take time at the beginning of every year to review the year that has past and to set some goals for the year ahead. What about you? Did you write down some goals for 2020? Even if you didn’t write anything down, I bet that you had a few things that you wanted to accomplish this year. I know I did. How’s it going for you?

2020 is probably the most unusual year that any of us have ever experienced. Noting has played out according to plan for any of us. We are all in unfamiliar territory and any plans we had are out the window. Am I right?

When life is interrupted it can be unsettling. All our plans are thrown into disarray. It causes us to have to reevaluate what is really important. So, in the middle of all this confusion and instability, how can you find focus? What is it that you really need to accomplish in 2020? What do I need to accomplish? What should our goals look like?

Here’s one conclusion that I have come to in my years of walking with Jesus and reading His word: At the end of the day, the only thing that really matters is the Gospel. So, if that is what matters, then what kind of goal does God want for you and me? Here it is in three words: Smell like Jesus. 

What?! What do I mean “smell like Jesus”? The Apostle Paul encouraged his friends in Corinth that Christ was leading them in His victory parade and diffusing His scent through them everywhere. He tells his friends that the only thing that really matters is to make their lives a fragrant offering to God. Simple! That’s God’s goal for you and for me as well. 

“Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere like a sweet perfume...” That is your purpose and that is my purpose. To spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere like a sweet perfume. It can be easy to lose that perspective in the midst of all our daily tasks, but since what matters most is the Gospel, spreading the knowledge of Christ is the simple goal we need to focus on. By the way, all you have to do is put on the scent, the diffusing happens naturally. 

“Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God..” Fragrance was an important aspect of offering to any god during Bible times. Paul tells the Corinthians that their lives are meant to be an offering to God that is a “Christ-like fragrance.” Thank about that for a moment. The fragrance of an offering was meant to please the god to whom the offering was being given. What kind of fragrance pleases our God? The fragrance of Christ.. Our lives are meant to be an offering to God that smells like Jesus. If I take a sniff of my life I know that, although I believe the fragrance of Christ is there, it’s mixed with the fragrance of me, and that is not a pretty smell! I want my life to be a pure offering to God of Christ-like fragrance, but He is the One that does the purifying. I do my best, imperfectly for sure,  to cooperate with His purifying process. How about you, my Friend?

“...this fragrance is perceived differently...” Paul tells the Corinthians there are really only two kinds of people: Those who are on the way to life and those who are on the way to death. If you and I smell like Jesus, then God will be pleased. That is what matters most. That is our first and most simple goal, right? 

However, people react differently to fragrances. If you walk into a room wearing your favorite scent, some people will love it and move closer to you, inhaling deeply. Others will move further away, coughing and covering their nose. Your favorite scent might actually make them feel sick! You can’t control how other people respond to your perfume and you can’t control how people respond to Jesus in you.  

If you smell like Jesus, which is your simple goal, then you can’t control how other people respond to that. Your life is an offering to God and your scent is designed to please only One, God Himself. But that Christ-like fragrance that pleases God will also draw people to His life. If you smell like Jesus, then people who want to know Him will be drawn to you. What they are drawn to is Christ. What repels others from you is also Christ. It isn’t about you. At the end of the day, the only thing that really matters is the Gospel. If you smell like Jesus, then your fragrance will draw people to Him or repel them from Him. How people react to us is dependent on their relationship with Jesus. 

Whatever it was that you wanted to accomplish in 2020, I hope that this helps you to refocus on one simple goal that is always worth accomplishing: Smell like Jesus. That goal and task gives us focus regardless of our plans. Let your life be a Christ-like fragrance, an offering to God first. The secondary effect of that offering to God is that it makes Christ known. People will react as they may, but our task remains simple — smell like Jesus. 

Key thought: Our task is simple: Smell like Jesus. 

A Scripture to consider: “Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭2:15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A YES Challenge: Take some time in God’s presence to consider your 2020 plans. What have you been able to accomplish during the pandemic? What has gone by the wayside? Ask God to show you how to simplify your goals so that your focus becomes offering a Christ-like fragrance to God that affects the world around you. 

Prayer: Lord, let my life be a Christ-like offering to You. The reactions of others don’t matter because what they react to is Christ, not me. I want to be an offering, a fragrance that pleases You. What please You is Christ. I am Yours. Amen.