Think of a favorite smell. Is it some wonderful food
cooking…or the fragrance of a flower or of a loved one? In the movie The Scent of a Woman the main character
was a blind retired marine officer who knew a sweet lady by her scent…and then
he danced with her so beautifully that you wouldn’t know he couldn’t see. There
is more to the story, but the aroma that is referred to in the scripture has to
do with a sacrificial aroma that is described in Leviticus 1-2. Burning flesh
and smoky grain may not be a pleasant fragrance to us, but it was meant to be
to God. Sacrifices of animals and grain were made as burnt offerings on the
tabernacle altar to the Lord God. This smoky offering was the Hebrew people’s
way of reaching the Lord. It was their way of expressing their love to God and
asking for forgiveness for their sins. This action is said to typify the Lord
Jesus’ offering of Himself unto death.
Again, walk in love. What does that mean to you?
Jesus said…"Come to Me, all who are
weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn
from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR
SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30. We
can “learn” from Jesus. To do that and be devoted to Jesus, we need to do more
than “talk the talk”—we must walk in His footsteps. For
you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you,
leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps…1
Peter 2:21. He is our example so go to Him and find out what
He would do. That typically means reading our Bible for ourselves. Prayer is a
powerful resource when we ask God to give us wisdom and understanding of His
Word. Studying scripture with others can also help us get insight into Jesus’
teachings. Daily devotions with your family may surprisingly open your eyes to
Jesus’ teachings, as well as your children’s.
Training
Tip – For a hands-on devotional, play a game of smells.
Put things with different fragrances in brown paper bags and then see if your
children can identify the objects while blindfolded. For example you may want
to use a slice of an orange, a slice of an apple, some chocolate candy, a piece
of burnt toast, a fragrant flower if one is available, a drop of peppermint
oil, or some dirt. See who can guess the most correctly. They will probably
want to change things around and have you guess what is in the bags, too.
Sharing this time of fragrances will demonstrate love…and you can talk about
how our lives can be a fragrant aroma to God. Beauty and obedience in our
hearts gives off a pleasing smell to God. He is Love.
Lord – We want to be
pleasing to You. We want to be like a sweet smelling flower.
All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB)
unless otherwise noted.
© 2013
by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
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