Sprayed by a Skunk – part 2

Those who read part one of Sprayed by a Skunk may be curious about the same thing my boss was. He asked me, “Have you ever been sprayed by a skunk?” My answer inspired a story that was later shared during the morning devotions at the Christian school where I was working.

The response to my boss was, “yes and no.” You may be thinking, ‘it can’t be both.’ I’m grateful to announce, I have not been skunk sprayed, in the literal physical realm. However, I have been drenched figuratively. What do I mean? I have been sprayed by the skunk of sin and that has an awful stench to it.

Years ago, Warner Brothers Looney Tunes produced a cartoon called Pepé Le Pew. Pepé is a skunk who was always on a quest to find love. He had an offensive odor that repelled the felines he pursued. Humanity has something in common with Pepé. Until we receive Christ’s forgiveness, we are on a similar search. We hunt for love and acceptance in different ways while the wafting putrid odor of our sin reaches the nostrils of God.

Because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the garden, we are each born with a sinful nature. God had a plan of redemption—he sent his son Jesus as the sacrifice for our sins.

Good News
Cleansing can take place, and our foul odor can be removed. Jesus has the power to save, remove the penalty of our sins, and God remembers them no more.

“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation” (Romans 10:9-10, CSB).

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his faithful love toward those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:11-12, CSB).

“…This is the Lord’s declaration. ‘For I will forgive their iniquity and never again remember their sin’ ” (Jeremiah 31:34b, CSB).

Did you know once we have our sins removed, God considers us a sweet aroma? Our new life is a scent of commemoration to Jesus Christ.

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?” (2 Corinthians 2:14-16, NIV).

As we live out our faith and bear witness for Christ, we become a pleasing scent to God. In Revelation, there is depicted imagery of bowls of incense being the prayers of God’s people—another instance of God savoring our smell.

“Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children, and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2, CSB).

Dear Reader, what fragrance permeates those around you? Are you a diffuser spreading the wonderful aroma of Christ? Trust Jesus: don’t be fooled by the skunk!

Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of salvation through Christ. You are so good. You have removed the stench of my sin making me a beautiful fragrance. Lord, continue to do refining work in me so that my life will be an accurate imitation of You. In the wonderful name of Jesus. Amen.

Skunk Photo 138284956 © Veronika Verenin | Dreamstime.com