– 3min read
As the Christmas season has come to an end, I can’t help but reflect on the things I’ll miss most until next year. One of them is our Christmas tree. Every year, we pick out a real tree to put in our home. Some years it’s scraggly and misshapen, other years it’s full and fluffy. No matter the shape, our tree always provides us with the warm smell of Christmas pine. I’ve noticed throughout the years that the scent becomes stronger and sweeter as the season goes by. The fresh tree at first gives off a subtle smell that you have to intentionally take notice of. As the tree begins to die, the scent easily permeates throughout our home.
By the end of the season, the tree is no longer bright green with perky branches. Instead, it is drooped low and a more muted color. But the aroma it gives off causes me to treasure the tree all the more. And here lies the point of this article. As I passed by our drooping, dying tree, I was struck with the thought of my own Christian walk. There is a repeated theme in the Bible of dying to ourselves and being alive in Christ.
“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
– Matthew 16:24-25
“Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
– Romans 6:11
“If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
– Romans 8:10-13
Dying to self involves drooping low in humility just as Christ humbled Himself to the point of death on a cross (Philippians 2:7-8). The outward appearance of our lives should not be focused on looking as the world expects us to look. Bright and flashy may gain us a quick nod of approval from others, but it is merely that. Quick and fleeting with little to gain is the approval of sinful man. There is an eternal beauty that comes from dying to self, just as there is beauty in a dying tree. For just as the tree gives off a sweet scent, so our lives are to give off the aroma of Christ.
“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;”
– 2 Corinthians 2:14-15
This gifted fragrance should be used first and foremost to glorify God. In the Old Testament, the Israelites are often instructed to offer up a burnt offering or a drink offering unto the Lord. “[A]nd you shall offer as the drink offering, one-half hin of wine as an offering by fire, as a soothing aroma to the Lord” (Numbers 15:10). Praise be to God that Christ was the fulfillment of these laws and the true offering for all. Because of Christ’s work on the cross for us, we can join with Him in living as a pleasing fragrance to God. This is our only natural response of worship to the God who has lavished us with His mercy and grace.
“Therefore I urge you , brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
– Romans 12:1-2
As our lives are being sanctified by God’s grace, the aroma of our lives should permeate all around us. Whether at home, church, work, or wherever you may be, it should be obvious that you are dying to self and living for Christ. We should rejoice in the work of edifying the saints and bringing the gospel to others.
“But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.”
– Philippians 2:17
As we head into the new year, I want to encourage you to keep this in mind. May your life be marked with the humility of Christ, and may that overflow to all around you. Like the branches of the dying tree, our lives should droop beneath the weight of God’s grace, encouraging us to be humble in light of what He has done. It is a great privilege to live our lives as a sacrifice to God, which is holy and pleasing to Him. It is a joy to serve those around us and offer them the warm, inviting scent of a gospel-filled life. Just as the scent of a pine tree reminds us of the delights of Christmas, may the fragrance of our lives point others to Christ.
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”
– Ephesians 5:1-2