Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. There are certain kinds of foods
that give off a strong odor when they are cooked. If one likes
the particular food being cooked, then that odor may be the most
desired of fragrances. Yet the exact same odor may be
completely odious to someone who does not share that desire
for the same food. It's been a long time since I
smelled any chitlins being cooked. But it's an odor that I cannot
forget. As a child, my grandmother would cook chitlins when we had
hog killing. I did not care for chitlins then
and do not care for them now, especially now that I am fully
aware of what they are. Yet those who have a hankering
for a mess of chitlins would consider the smell of them being
cooked as delightful, while I would be ready to leave until the meal
was over. The word savor literally means a fragrance or an odor.
We usually use the word fragrance to describe a smell that appeals
to us and the word odor to describe those which are less than pleasant.
The scripture uses the words interchangeably, but does use
a different word when the point is being clearly made that something
is a particularly sweet or completely satisfying aroma. Paul uses the
Greek word euodia to describe the complete acceptability of
Christ to the Father, literally meaning a sweet or desirable
fragrance. Over and over again in the books
of Leviticus and Numbers, we read that the burnt offerings
were a sweet savor unto the Lord. Now we know that the Lord had
no regard to the burning of bulls and goats, but that savor which
was precious in His nostrils was the offering of Christ. And
each time that high priest went into the Holy of Holies to offer
a sacrifice, it was but a type and picture of that sacrificial
lamb which was slain for us. With such God is well pleased,
and with nothing else is He satisfied. Paul describes the acceptability
of the elect to the Father as being the sweet fragrance of
Christ. All of our beauty is at wherein we are hidden in Him.
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. He
is our righteousness and acceptability with the Father. He is well pleased
with His Son, who has undertaken our redemption, and is our beauty
before the throne of God. The elect are said to be a sweet
savor of Christ unto God. All that Christ did, he did to
please the Father, and all that he did pleased the Father, who
has received him to sit at his right hand, where he ever liveth
to make intercession for his people. The elect bride of Christ
has been given all things in Christ, and they are totally
and completely acceptable unto the Father, because they are
seen to be in Christ and of Christ. His obedience is theirs, His
righteousness is theirs, His blessing is theirs, His faith
is theirs, His wisdom is theirs, His inheritance is theirs, His
very life is theirs. He that spared not His own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him freely
give us all things? Having said that we are unto
God a sweet savor of Christ, Paul goes on to say that he has
made us an odor to the whole world. He has been pleased to
put his handiwork on display to the world, for we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which
God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. To those
who are ordained unto condemnation we are an odious smell, even
the very stench of death. Yet unto those who are ordained
unto eternal life we are a refreshing fragrance, for they are given,
in God's own time, a love and appreciation for the beautiful
perfume of Christ Himself. This savor is completely the
creation of God. Nothing makes one man different
from another except the grace of God. For who maketh thee to
differ from another, and what hast thou that thou didst not
receive? Now if thou didst receive it, mightest thou glory, as if
thou hadst not received it. Except the Lord should show mercy
to us, we would all likewise perish. We had no desire or taste
for the things of his kingdom until he created us in Christ,
a new creature, desirous of eating the bread of that kingdom we
once despised. Now our favorite food is that which he prepares
daily. This saver is completely the work of Christ, not by works
of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy
he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of
the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus
Christ our Savior, that being justified by his grace we should
be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. All of
our acceptance with the Father is the result of what Christ
has accomplished in our behalf. But of Him are you in Christ
Jesus, who of God has made unto us wisdom and righteousness and
sanctification and redemption. We could no more produce some
work that would make us acceptable in His sight than a man who is
repulsed at the thought of eating a certain food could sit down
and enjoy a meal of it. Do you rejoice in this sweet
savor of Christ? For a free CD containing 15 of
these radio broadcasts, send an email to forthepoor at windstream.net.