The Fragrance of Holiness

Holiness—

Sweetness in its purest form

And God its very essence

As we effuse 

The fragrance of His presence. 

The smell of holiness

So delightful, desirable,

Right and wonderful! 

His hallowed Name

Is oil upon the lips. 

What aroma from His kiss!

Breathe deeply

Of His holiness. 

Aromatic spices—

The blend of liquid myrrh 

And aloes fill the senses.

Cinnamon and cassia

How utterly delightful

Is the fragrance 

Of the holiness

Of God!

So sweet,

I’m swept away,

So let me take it in

The moment You pass by.

I’m overcome,

Could die

Beneath the power

Of exhilarating love and fire!

Your perfume

I’m helpless to resist.

-- Charity Lacroix

"Cinnamon emits a fragrance that is representative of an odor of holiness to the Lord. It was used in the sacred anointing oil of the priests and the tabernacle.” – taken from Song of Songs: Divine Romance, The Passion Translation by Dr. Brian Simmons.

“Then the LORD said to Moses, "Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant calamus, 500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil. Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil. Then use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law, the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. You shall consecrate them so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy. "Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may serve me as priests. Say to the Israelites, 'This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come. Do not pour it on anyone else's body and do not make any other oil using the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred. Whoever makes perfume like it and puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off from their people.'" (Exo 30:22-33)

“You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy. All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces adorned with ivory the music of the strings makes you glad.” (Psa 45:7-8)

“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— for your love is more delightful than wine. Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes; your name is like perfume poured out. No wonder the young women love you! Take me away with you—let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers. We rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine. How right they are to adore you!” (Son 1:2-4)

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” (2Co 2:14-15)

“You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.'” (Act 2:28)

“… love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.” (Son 8:6)

Attribution notice: Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission.

Author's note: The poems in this blog were written by my children, ages fourteen through twenty-one. The Why This Blog post explains how the Lord inspired these poems in answer to a prayer during illness. I also recommend visiting my children's blog, A Brush with Life, where you will also find beautiful art they have drawn for the glory of God. You can access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master. Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Jesus? 
“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.