Verse of the day: Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt
loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to
be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
A life of happiness, for us, the
born again believer, is summed up in this statement (v. 13). We are blessed, or
happy, if we do all we can to be the salt of the earth. All that Jesus said in
the previous verses about what it takes to be blessed, from Heaven’s
perspective, will make us, if we genuinely put it to practice and live it, the
preserving element of this corrupt world. It does not take long for us to see
the wickedness and corruption that exists in our world if we are realistically
looking around us. We, God’s children, are here on earth to add some flavor to
the life of others. Too many have become like the salt described here that is
used in the eastern part of the world; which can lose its preserving properties
and become good for nothing. Mr. Maundrell, describing the Valley of Salt, said, "Along, on one side of the valley, toward Gibul, there is a small
precipice about two men's lengths, occasioned by the continual taking away of
the salt; and, in this, you may see how the veins of it lie. I broke a piece of
it, of which that part that was exposed to the rain, sun, and air, though it
had the sparks and particles of salt, Yet It Had Perfectly Lost Its Savour: the
inner part, which was connected to the rock, retained its savor, as I found by proof."
What a great example of what happens to us, the Christian, when we lose our
connection to God. I am not saying that we lose our salvation. We have been
sealed (Eph 1:13), and as true born again believers we will never lose our
salvation (Eph 4:30; 1 Pt 1:3-5). What I am saying is that if we are not
careful, we can become too much like the world in the way that we live and become
ineffective in our testimony and service to the Lord. This is why it is so
important that we live in accordance to God’s Word and love the Lord with all
that we are, so that we will obey His commands. We must stand out from the
world and live righteously, mourning our sins, being humble, patiently enduring
the sufferings and persecutions that God allows into our lives, and doing all
that we can to remain pure before the Lord, and seeking peace with men,
regardless of what their attitudes or actions are toward us. Here in the west,
the salt that we use is a chemical compound that if it loses its savor would
simply dissolve. In the east, the rock salt, if it loses its savor, still
remains, but is good for nothing other than being used as gravel to be put out
in the streets and walkways to be walked upon and trampled under the feet of
men. If we become like this, then we open the door for our testimony, and our
life in Christ, to be trampled upon by others, as they put us down and speak
ill of our Lord and Savior. We essentially become ineffective for God’s
purposes. We ought to be the people, here on earth, that are the living examples
of what it means to live holy and righteously. We ought to be the people who
stand out because we refuse to accept the “norms” of society, and who boldly
demonstrate love and kindness in a world where doing right, and being kind to
those who are injurious toward us, is considered abnormal and weak. Our
attitude and behavior should add flavor to the circles of influence we live in.
We talk about changing the world for Christ, but we seem to be failing
miserably. May I suggest that each of us who know the Lord surrender our live
to making a difference for Christ in our own homes, in our own places of
employment, and in our own social circles? Maybe then, one home at a time, one
place of employment at a time, and one social event at a time, we can begin to
win others to Jesus; and only then would we truly become the salt of the earth
for Jesus.
No comments:
Post a Comment