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Nov 12, 2025 06:00am

The Sweet Smell of Christ

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I was surrounded by fresh blacktop. There was a hint of food in the air. Was that cinnamon? Definitely something fried!

I closed my eyes and took a big deep breath. This reminds me of…

Silver Dollar City.

To me, it was a welcoming and comforting aroma. It represents something joyful—fun memories with friends and loved ones, filled with laughter and screams of excitement. And great food!

But to others, that same smell makes them groan. To them, it’s a reminder of the long lines, the hot days spent trying to find a place to cool off, or the freezing cold waiting for the parade, the money they forked out for a half-eaten funnel cake and a wasted bag of kettle corn. It reminds them of the big hill they push the stroller up as they make their way to the front of the park to take their tired, worn-out, overheated, and broke selves home.

For them, that smell isn’t so sweet after all.

2 Corinthians 2:14–17
14 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. 15 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. 16 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?
17 You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the Word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.

Paul used the example of a sweet aroma or perfume because it was something familiar to the people of his time. When the Romans made their way through town in a victory parade, the general wanted everyone to see how victorious they were. With a large cloud of incense to the gods they worshiped, he would parade his treasures and captives throughout the streets. For those who were Roman citizens, this was the “sweet smell of victory.” But for those who were captive, it was the smell of slavery and certain death.

When the Word of God is preached, it is pleasing to some and repulsive to others—just like a perfume.

As followers of Christ, we should be a sweet-smelling savor to the world. We offer the beautiful message of salvation for those who would believe in Jesus Christ. Not everyone will accept that. Not everyone will like, allow, or appreciate it.

But our message should still be proclaimed.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the only Way, the Truth, and the Life. There is no other way to Heaven but through faith and belief in Christ. There are no other gods. The Lord Almighty is the one true and living God, and the Bible is His Holy Word. In John 3:16 it says that God loved the people in the world so much that He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins. And whoever believes in Jesus as Lord and Savior will have eternal life—they will be saved.

Do you know Him? Do you want to know more about a deeper relationship with Jesus? Do you want to experience the sweet-smelling savor that comes from knowing Christ?

Go to follow.lifeword.org. And now in Spanish at follow.lifeword.org/spanish. Let me introduce you to who Jesus is and what it means to be His follower.