Have you noticed the many roses are no longer fragrant? I recall the knotty old rosebush that Grandma had in her yard, and although it was old and thick looking, not too pretty anymore, just one rose could add fragrance to a whole room. That wonderful "rose smell" has been totally gone from my last few bouquets. They look as pretty as they always have, and there are new colors and combinations of colors that are just amazing, but that familiar perfumed scent is gone. In fact, there is no smell at all unless the florist adds some other flowers. It's disappointing to say the least.
At a women's Bible Study last night, I found out the reasons why growers are cross-breeding the scent out of the roses. The first reason is that so many people have developed allergies to different scents and smells that the market for scented bouquets has dramatically decreased. In order to please the public, roses are grown without their fragrance. The second reason is that it is the scent of the roses that attracts the pests, not the colors. Scentless roses have few problems with aphids and other plant destroyers. So you can increase beauty by eliminating the imperfections caused by pests.
Well, you probably already see where this is going. As Christians, we should be a sweet aroma to the world and to God. He delights in our beauty and sweetness. In our efforts to be unoffensive & unobtrusive, we have lost our main purpose. No longer do we sweeten the world around us. We have blended in to the world to the extent that we are practically unnoticeable! In an attempt to regain some of our former glory, we have added in fancy buildings and a multitude of programs that may look great & may seem to fill the bill for a while, but they draw people for a season and the commitment level remains casual at best. Most non-Christians can take us or leave us. We can still look pretty, but our fragrance is no longer the main attraction which sets us apart from the rest of society. And examined up close, the absence of that distinguishing characteristic of sweetness leaves the world disappointed and apathetic. Jesus showed His contempt for this kind of "religion" in His many encounters with the Pharisees. They had all the outer signs, through their traditions and laws, but lacked the Love which made the world sweet and the other things meaningful.
As for drawing pests, I am reminded of my childhood Sunday School teacher's words: "If you're not doing anything that the devil can get mad at you about, you're not doing anything meaningful for God." If we are apathetic and casual about God and His plan, we are not a threat to satan's plans. He will leave us alone and spend time harassing those who are committed. If you're serving God, you have a satanic target on your back and the greater level of responsibility God gives you, the bigger the target you are. While that may be intimidating, causing you to want to "lay low", remember that the victory is already won and Jesus promises that He is greater than any worldly enemy. He has already provided everything we need for success, so we don't need to fear - we just need to obey. After all, being in the harshest war zone with Jesus is safer than being anywhere else without Him.
So, here's my bottom line: Even though I may offend someone and I may cause satan to notice me, I still choose to be a fragrant offering to God. A rose without scent is just not a true rose, no matter how good it may look!
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