That Smells Good

That Smells Good

The priest will burn the entire sacrifice on the altar as a burnt offering. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

Leviticus 1:9

Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

Ephesians 5:2

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.

2 Corinthians 2:14-15

What smells bring a smile to your face? Is it the smell of a chocolate cake coming out of the oven or onions simmering on the stove? Do you love the smell of a fresh-cut Christmas tree or a bouquet of roses?

Did you know there’s a smell that brings a smile to the face of God? The Bible tells us that God is pleased by the smell of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. Now that is hard for us to understand because we can’t imagine that smelling good. And we know that when Jesus was on the cross with all our sin laid on him, God actually had to turn away from him—almost as if he had to get away from the stench of all that sin.

So why would the Bible say that Jesus’ sacrifice was a “pleasing aroma” to the Lord? Because that sacrifice on the cross demonstrated the love of God in the most complete and perfect way possible. It was a tangible, unmistakable, worldwide demonstration of the way God loves sinners.

Likewise, when we love other people sacrificially—when we love with the kind of depth and self-giving that Jesus demonstrated on the cross—it is like a sweet perfume that God can smell, and it makes him smile. As more and more people know and experience the love of Jesus, the smell gets stronger and stronger, and God is pleased.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

What is the worst thing you have ever smelled? What’s the best?

What do the three verses on this page tell you about what smells good to God?

What expressions of sacrificial love have you seen from your family members? What is something you can do to love someone sacrificially this week?