Yesterday I attended the memorial service for a friend who had been tragically killed over the weekend. One moment he was with us, the next he was gone. He took one step on this earth and his next was into eternity. That next step he took moved him from being here with us to being in the presence of the Lord he had entrusted his life to many years go. We mourn his absence, but we celebrate his life, and rejoice for his gain. I’m reminded of what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Philippi while he was in chains in a deep, dark jail…
For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)
My friend didn’t live a perfect life. Neither have I, or have you. What he did do is make a difference in the lives of many he came into contact with. He lived to reach out to others. That showed in the many people who were at his memorial, and the stories that were shared both during and after the service. When he passed from this world into that unseen world he believed in, he gained the very presence of the Savior he had trusted.
I’ve pondered his sudden passing since we first received the news. When we did, this scripture came to mind:
James 4:13-14
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will[a] go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
Life Is a Vapor
Life is a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
There are different properties with a vapor. We can see its appearance, what it looks like. It gradually dissipates and is no longer visible. Yet vapor has another property that lives on past the time it is visible. Vapor can have a scent. Not all vapors smell the same. Some can be unpleasant, causing coughing, watering or burning eyes, and skin irritation. Sadly, some people’s lives affect others in much the same way. Those around them are caused discomfort or even harm by the life that the person has chosen to live. Their “vapor” of life has tainted their surroundings.
On the other hand, perfume is a sweet smelling vapor that enhances its surroundings. It brings a pleasing aroma to those it comes into contact with, and they are often drawn to it. That is what your goal should be. It is what mine is as well. (Read The Most Interrupted Person In Heaven)
What Scent Will Your Life Have?
How we live our lives isn’t about how well we do at work, how well we are known or how much money we make. It is about how we love and relate to others. It’s how we treat people – how we express God’s love to them in our words and actions. It’s so very important that we live our lives in a way that adds to the lives of others and doesn’t take way. As we live our lives showing love, compassion, patience, and integrity we emit a sweet aroma that will draw others closer to God – or at least to a realization that there is a God who loves them and gave Himself for them. Paul wrote of this, explaining that as we do this we are “to God the fragrance of Christ”. What an awesome thought!
2 Corinthians 2:15-16
15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life.
In his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul plainly spoke of what this looks like, and how it is perceived by God.
Ephesians 5:1-2
Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
Be imitators of God. Walk in love. Our example of this? As Christ has loved us and given Himself for us. When he offered up His life for others, God received it as a sweet smelling aroma. The vapor of Jesus’ life can no longer be seen with the eye, but its fragrant aroma lingers on even today in the nostrils of God, and in the world we live in.
We can offer ourselves and how we live our lives up in the same way. You don’t have to physically be scourged and hung on a cross, but you can choose to give of yourself each day. Be the ear that listens. Be the smiling face or the kind word that lifts another’s spirits. Be honest with those around you, truthful in your words. Be gracious and merciful in how you deal with people, but choose to help them out of their problems and not merely ease their suffering. When we do these things and more we are that sweet aroma to others, and to God.
Yesterday I saw a row after row of people celebrating the life of a man who had left something sweet smelling lingering in their lives, even though he was no longer with them. In the middle of a sad day, it was a beautiful sight, the legacy that he left behind. Lives touched.
So the question is, what scent will your vapor have? What aroma from your life will linger after you are gone? You decide.
I always tell my kids that you change the world one person at a time. So today, begin changing the world around you. Let your vapor of a life leave a pleasing scent that people will talk of long after you are gone.
