"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?" (2 Corinthians 2:14-16).
Knowing Jesus changes us. A fragrance comes from being in the presence of Christ. Oh that the fragrance of His presence would be felt in my words and deeds, my heart and my mind! Such a fragrance, such nearness and intimacy, cannot help but cause glory to be reflected on the face. 2 Corinthians 3:18 puts it this way: "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another..." Our hope makes us bold, and we would not hide that glory from any mortal man, nor would we hide our faces from the glory of our Creator (2 Corinthians 3:12-13,18). For no longer do we live under any condemnation. We are in Christ. Is there any phrase sweeter than that? The longer I think upon it, the sweeter it becomes. Hidden in Him, I wear righteousness that is not my own, righteousness transferred to me for love's sake alone.
Why are we not bold in our desire to gaze upon the living King? Why does the world not look at us with wonder, even scorn, at the extravagance of our love? Jim Berg writes, "...extravagance is the sign of a lover- someone who has an intense devotion toward and delight in another... lovers often appear to overdo it." Where, then, is our full-hearted devotion? Can it be that we do not even look up for a glimpse of His glory?
I am the first to admit that I am lacking in these things. It's easy to assume that extravagant, radical joy and love can't be possible. It's beyond the grasp of human experience. Then I remember David, dancing with wild abandon in worship. I remember Mary, anointing Jesus' dirty feet with a fortune's worth of perfume from her alabaster jar. The problem isn't possibility. All things are possible with God. The problem is the sinful desires of our own hearts. We need renewal to sweep into every corner of our minds (Romans 12:2). We need to be washed by the water of the Word (Ephesians 5:26). We will not draw near, we will not be bold to behold, if we do not first grasp the gospel and our need for it to permeate every aspect of our lives. We cannot look up without the cross.
That involves examining the very tenets of our beliefs. When you and I pray "Lord, change me," do we really believe He'll do it? Do we even want Him to? I think a lot of us, including me, have spent too much time flowing in and out of church and not enough time pursuing the gospel. Berg shares, "I believe that the reason we do not love Him passionately — as did Mary, who gave her extravagant gift- is that we have not meditated often on the extent of His 'unspeakable gift' to us (2 Corinthians 9:15)." When we soak our hearts and minds in the truth of all that Christ has done for us, we see that there is more to life than we could have ever imagined. If you've ever longed for more, it's time to step away from the sidelines. It's time we looked up at His face.
