Smelling the fragrance of Christ
Merry Monday by Parris Bailey-
“The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.” SOS 2:12
I am sure I probably have written of this before but it bears repeating. We have traveled many times into Bulgaria but this time we went hours out of our way to minister in a particular gypsy city. After sharing that night we all went for a bite to eat. We were all pretty well caught up with what God did that night in the gypsies, when suddenly I interrupted the conversation with “WHAT IS THAT SMELL”? I was told we were in the place where rose oil was made and it happened to be harvest season when the roses are being picked. The smell was everywhere so much you could taste it in your mouth. It was a breezy cool evening and it was overwhelming to smell roses while you ate your supper. It dawned on me later that this is what we were to those gypsies that night. A fresh aroma of springtime, harvest time had to come to them even in their poverty they became full. Every day we should seek to have a fresh anointing from the Lord. Spurgeon said, “Wherever the Church of Christ proceeds, though her pathway is a desert, though she marches through a howling wilderness, she scatters the richest perfume. Wherever the Church advances she makes manifest the savor of the knowledge of Christ in every place.” The summoned bride is welcome,” say some commentators, “to weave from the flowers garlands of beauty, wherewith she may adorn herself to meet the King.” Historically, the flowers speak of promises that are yet to come. Wait are we waiting for? Can you see that the flowers are in full blown? Birds are singing, the voice of the turtle dove, which symbols love, is heard in the land. Even the fig tree and grapes are ready and it smells should lure you to want more of Him.
Jesus called us hypocrites because “ye do not discern the time”. Song of Solomon is beckoning us to see, feel, smell and hear God in our lives. We can have revival all around us and yet miss it. That almost happened to me, I don’t feel anything do you feel anything, this what we heard from so many people as they sat and mocked others getting touched. RISE UP AND COME AWAY from the world and the flesh, come into fellowship with Christ. “The soul that was hard, and cold, and frozen, and unprofitable, like the earth in winter, becomes fruitful, like the earth in spring, and by degrees, like it, brings its fruits to perfection. There will be an eternal farewell to winter and a joyful entrance upon an everlasting spring.” (Spurgeon)