“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.” Ephesians 5:2

One of the worst and long-lasting smells that we get a whiff of now and then, is the horrible smell of a skunk. One nice think about living in India was that there are no skunks in India!

I came across a story the other day that you may very well identify with.

One day Victoria Pierce of Nashville opened her front door and her dog raced in, yelping and covered with skunk spray. With Victoria chasing him, the dog ran through every room, rubbing himself against every cushion, rug, and piece of upholstered furniture. The whole house had to be decontaminated.

What an example of the effects of sin. The stench of sin is worse than all the foul odors of earth. When we dishonor the commands of Scripture, it’s a stench rising all the way to heaven. Ecclesiastes 10:1 says, 

“Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, and cause it to give off a foul odor;“

Only the Bible tells us how to rid our life of the “foul ordors” of sin. We must confess and turn from them, letting the Lord bathe us in grace and “decontaminate us”. The apostle Paul said, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (2 Corinthians 2:14). 

When sin stinks up our life, let’s turn quickly in confession to the Lord, because He will forgive. Then, and only then, will we be able to be the pleasant fragrance of Christ where ever we go.

“We can never be cleansed until we confess we are dirty.”   – Max Lucado