Fine Aroma

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

FINE AROMA

Prov 27:10

9 Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel.

NIV

A sweet fragrance has more meaning in the Eastern world as it was customary to anoint a head with oil and even on a man’s beard. Yet even in our country many use perfumes to enhance their personage with fine aromas, sometimes. This fine smelling stuff has become a major business in many countries. But the idea is that when we smell good we feel good, it is supposed to lift our spirits, our hearts. This is the same concept of having the finest friend available on the counter of fragrances. Only this finest friend will give us earnest counsel. There are people, who we might call a friend who tell us what we want to hear. They give us praise, telling us how good we are, how much we do and what a nice person we are. There is a difference between encouraging a friend and giving praise. The word encourage carries the meaning of provoking someone to do something good. We encourage each other to serve the Lord.  A true friend not only encourages us, but gives us insight into our lives and our faults so that we might see the truth. This counsel, this advice, this insight should be as pleasant to us, just as that fine aroma of perfume and incense.