Aroma of God
- Aroma of God
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Reflective Insight
Every pleasure has the potential to be a small revelation of God, with each experience serving as an invitation to know Him more deeply. God calls us to fully immerse ourselves in His gifts and then respond with heartfelt praise 1. God reveals Himself through both His word and the world, using creation to make His invisible attributes visible. He has given us bodily senses to gain knowledge of the world and minds to connect our experiences to the Creator 1. For instance, when we savor something sweet like honey, we can use that physical enjoyment to create spiritual categories, recognizing that God is similar to—yet far beyond—that sweetness 1. The ultimate goal is to enjoy God in everything and everything in God, always remembering that Jesus is better than any earthly gift 1. However, this approach requires careful discernment to avoid falling into idolatry, greed, or covetousness, which is why practices of self-denial and generosity are crucial 1. 11 Joe Rigney, Strangely Bright: Can You Love God and Enjoy This World? (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020), 49–50, 73–75.
Joe Rigney in Strangely Bright: Can You Love God and Enjoy This World?
The analogy of the aroma of God to the pleasing aroma (to us) of a nice juicy BBQ steak
I asked MS Copilot for an image to go with this definition. As usual, I left it kind of open with just a little explanation. Over the time we’ve spent together (realizing it’s a program – not a person) it’s come to recognize what I want, how I write, the things I write about – and it usually includes some text to go with it. Here’s what it gave me for the topic of the aroma of God combined with a pleasing aroma to us.
Pleasing Aroma of God:
Just as the smell of a good meal rises and fills the air—drawing people in with delight—our lives, when aligned with God’s heart, rise toward Him as something beautiful, sensed, and pleasing. Scripture uses this image to describe worship, sacrifice, and the way Christ’s love spreads through the world.
🔥 A steak on the grill
- The aroma rises.
- It catches your attention before you even see the food.
- It stirs desire, delight, anticipation.
- It’s invisible yet unmistakably real.
🌿 The “pleasing aroma” of God
- Our lives rise toward Him in ways we don’t always see.
- The aroma is about quality, not quantity—what’s pleasing is the heart behind it.
- It’s something sensed rather than measured.
- It’s a metaphor Scripture uses to describe worship, obedience, sacrifice, and Christ Himself.
The BBQ image taps into that sensory, everyday experience your book is all about—seeing God in the ordinary, the earthy, the embodied.
For those of you who don’t eat meat: I know this isn’t a pleasing aroma to everyone. However, even as someone who prefers fish to red meat – I have to agree that the smell of a BBQ steak is one that most people can relate to.
No offense intended – so feel free to switch the thought to whatever aroma is pleasing to you. It’s the thought – not the actual aroma – that matters.
Footnotes:
- 11 Joe Rigney, Strangely Bright: Can You Love God and Enjoy This World? (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020), 49–50, 73–75.
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