We have all been through those dark days in our lives. You know, not feeling very chipper, down in the dumps, wish I could crawl into a hole and die type of days. When winter comes we can very easily find ourselves hiding away somewhere hoping the sun will come out soon. Isn't it amazing what a little sunshine can do to raise the spirit? We have been going through some long, rainy, dreary days this winter and finding things to do outside just didn't seem appealing. Then one day the sun found a hole in the clouds and shone down on us making the clouds and rain of the past seem so insignificant. The warmth I felt on my face just seemed to brighten the whole day and made everything look so different. The birds were singing, the hills looked so much better even though nothing had changed in them yet. The only difference was the sun was highlighting the different shades of gray's and greens. What a difference a little sunlight can make.
With the sunshine beating down on me I begin to look at life in a different way. I find myself thinking of projects to do, such as changing the landscape around my yard, how am I going to arrange my garden this year, or where can I go for a trip. My mind wanders all over with exciting things, plans begin to form anew. Life just seems to come alive with just a touch of sunlight. I even find myself getting a lawn chair out to sit out on the deck or backyard with my back to the sun just soaking up the warmth of the sun's rays. The tensions of a long, cold winter seem to fade away as my muscles relax and my thoughts fade away to some distant place of utopia. What a difference a little light from the sun will do during those cold winter days.
When God created light He did so with a purpose. That purpose was to separate the light from the darkness, to make the difference between night and day. There was to be an absolute distinction between the two. Light's purpose is to penetrate the darkness and provide illumination for the surroundings.
Darkness is described this way from an online dictionary: Dark: (adj.) darker, darkest 1. (a) Lacking or having very little light. (b) Lacking brightness. (noun) 1. Absence of light. 2. A place having little or no light.
Let's look at some scriptures that use the word light in a different perspective. Matthew 5:14 says that we are the light of the world. We are like a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. We need to ask ourselves how are we light and who is the world? Since light penetrates darkness then we must in some way illuminate in the world. In my last blog I looked into Christ's reference to salt and how we are to be like it. Salt is a mineral used to enhance flavors of food and it is used as a preservative. Salt also creates thirst. Since we are to be like salt, we are to bring a new flavor into the world and help preserve or protect the world from total decay and at the same time create a thirst in those we come into contact with so they will want to drink from the living water. Light is something that illuminates darkness. In scriptures the world is equated to darkness and darkness can be a reference to sin. If we are "of" the world, then it would be safe to say that we are living in sin. When Christ prayed for His disciples in John 17:9-20 He said that they were not "of" the world anymore, they were now "in" the world. So when we look at Matthew 5:14 and see that He is referring to His disciples as the light of the world, He is saying that we illuminate the dark world around us by allowing God's love to shine through us. God's truth, the good news must be brought into a dark world. The other part of the scripture makes it more clear as to our responsibility with the light that God has given us. It says that "you are the light of the world, like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden." Once we choose to follow Christ and give Him Lordship over our lives we become the carriers of God's truth (light). This truth is to penetrate the darkness of this world. If our light is not shining then it would be safe to say in this matter that we have hid our light under a basket. Our light must shine so that all may see not only who we are in Christ, but who we represent as ambassador's of God's Kingdom. If we do not shine then how will the world find their way into His Kingdom?
When God created you He created you with a purpose, in fact, everything God created He created it with purpose. Just as light had a purpose, you and I have a purpose. We are all created with a unique talent or ability of some sort. When we give Christ Lordship over our lives the Holy Spirit then gives us a spiritual gift. We are to use these gifts and talents to shed the light of God's truth into a very dark and lost world. In letting our light shine in a way that all can see, then we will be an attraction to all those around us. To many times we put a lamp shade on our light, a lampshade that consist of bitterness, outbursts of anger, sexual immorality,impurity, lustful pleasures, malice, backbiting, envy, jealousy, hypocrisy, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, selfish ambition, dissension, division, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these, Galatians 5:19-20.
Yes, we live in a dark world and it seems to be getting darker all the time. Christ, before He left to go back to the Father, He left this command, "go into all the world and preach the good news to everyone." The good news being that Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father and that we all need to believe in Him. When we apply the fruit of the Spirit to our lives then we will know our light is shining brightly and the world that lives in darkness will be able to find their way. The light we have will penetrate the darkness providing direction for the lost.
Do not let your light be hidden. You may be the only hope someone has in finding their way to the heavenly Father. The light you have is the light of Christ, if the believers light (Christ) does not shine through them, the world has no hope. Jesus Christ said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me," John 14:6. Jesus Christ said earlier in His ministry that God, His Father, sent Him into the world to be a light to the lost. John 3:16-21 says; "for God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgement against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants."
Continue to be the light that God wants you to be. Allow the Holy Spirit to live in and through you so that Christ will be a bright light shining into a very dark world. The days are short and the time is drawing near for Christ to return and reestablish His Kingdom here on earth. Don't be caught with a lampshade over your light and miss out on the joy of letting your light shine into this dark world. Your light is important and many depend on it shining brightly.
As the sun shines down on you in a cold winter day and brings you warmth and hope for a better day, let it be a reminder of the light you are to the world around you. The light you carry may just be the light to one who is lost and searching for a better way. Share your light with them so they to can find their way. May God bless you daily as your light shines into the darkness.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Jehovah's Salt
In this blog I would like to look at Salt. Why did Christ refer to salt? How does salt play into our lives today? Lets take a look at the significance of this ingredient and just how important it is in our lives. In reference we will use Matthew 5:13, "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless."
Just what is salt and what is its purpose? Salt is of course a mineral used to season foods, used as a preservative, salt also balances the fluids in our bodies. Salt is required for animal life in small quantities. Basically, salt is a very important element in our daily lives. It serves several purposes and helps sustain the function of our bodies. I have included a link to some good information on salt: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt
Since Christ referred to his disciples as the "salt of the earth" we can look at how we are to be in the world we live in. First of all, we must understand salt. By looking at the link I gave you we can get a good picture of the uses of salt. So, lets just take the use of salt in two areas, one for flavor, the other for preservation. When we use salt in bland foods it makes the food or meal more palatable. It brings a unique quality to the food that we want to enjoy ourselves and share with others so they too may enjoy a good flavorful meal. We all have had food that just did not have enough flavor to make it enjoyable, and in our attempt to eat this food we found it difficult to finish. Our taste buds were telling us this is not good. Although there may be other seasonings added to the meal, you know something is lacking. Once you put salt on the food it becomes more palatable and you can sit and enjoy your meal. So, what has salt done? Salt has brought out and enhanced the flavors that were already present, plus, it added its own unique flavor even when combined with other seasonings. Salt is also used as a preservative. It stops bacteria from growing which would make food unusable. As a preservative meats will not rot and become spoiled and smelly.
Salt can lose its savor, or its saltiness. It will become worthless by losing its saltiness. Once that happens, it cannot enhance, combine with, or preserve. It is useless and becomes good for nothing. Christ said it is so worthless that it can only be cast out and trodden under the feet of men. When Christ referred to salt that has lost its saltiness, he was referring to salt that was exposed to much to the earth, rain and sun, in other words it became contaminated or impure. When this happens salt becomes useless, then it is taken out to the streets to be trodden on by people walking on the street. It simply became more like the earth and had no resemblance to salt. Check out the this link for some facts on saltless salt: Barnes' Notes on the Bible (you will have to scroll down to the section of "Matthew 5:13)
What is the effect that we as followers of Christ, believers, are to have on others? Let me refer you to some verses that speak of fruit. First look at Matthew 7:17, "A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit."
In Matthew 12:33-37 Christ gives a good description not only of the good and bad tree, but He shows us that our fruit comes from our hearts. If we are producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit we become distinguished from the world which does not produce this fruit. So what are we to do in order to produce good fruit? Remember, when we come to Christ we turn our lives over to Him and allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through us. The fruit of the spirit is this: "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things." Galatians 5:22-23. When we allow this fruit in our lives it is like sprinkling the purest of salt on a meal and offer a preservative that will sustain all that it comes into contact with.
When we become contaminated with the ways of the world we begin to lose our saltiness, if we allow the contamination to continue, it will not be long before we are no longer useful as a flavor enhancer or preservative the world needs. Without the salt being pure, or believers in the world that have allowed the contamination of the world to affect their purity in Christ, the world cannot find their way into God's Kingdom. The flavor is no longer distinguishable and the preservative qualities are no longer capable of preserving. So now the question would be, just how salty are you? If the fruit of the Holy Spirit does not show in your life could it be that you have become like the world? We must recognize just where we are in the world today. Christ, when He prayed to the Father for His disciples prayed this, "My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, so they bring me glory. Now I am departing from the world; but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. During my time here, I protected them by the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the scriptures foretold. Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. John 17:9-19
Christ goes on to say that He is not just praying for His disciples at the present time, but for all that come to believe through the disciples message. It is important for us to grasp the fact that once we come to Christ, we are no longer of this world, we have become the salt of the earth expected to flavor the world with the message that Christ gave to us. If we "love God with all of our hearts, all of our minds, and soul," and we show our neighbors not only that we love God, but we "love our neighbors as ourselves," then the saltiness we have will affect all those we come into contact with and they will get to sample the flavorful meal of Gods truth for their lives as well. Let us not lose our saltiness by playing with the world and accepting the worlds ways into our lives, let us be the example of His love and bring the salt to the table to change the flavor of the world around us. We, as the "salt of the earth" are not only a flavor enhancer, we are the preservative in the world that keeps the bacteria of sin from not only our lives, but keeps the evil one at bay and allows those in the world a taste of what Christ is offering them. We can bring a sweet aroma to the world, an aroma of a delicious meal prepared for any who will set down and enjoy it, we are the flavor enhancer that makes the meal exciting, palatable, and something all will not only be happy that they partook of it, but will remember it for a long time. It is a meal that they will want the recipe to. When the world partakes of this meal, will they taste a bit of salt? Without the salt the meal may be a bit bland or even foul tasting because some of the ingredients have become rancid. Are you salty? If you are not the salt of the earth, then you really cannot be distinguished from the world. Christ said "we are in the world, but not of the world," and the apostle Paul states in 2 Corinthians 5:20 that "We are therefore Christ's ambassador's." An ambassador must represent their nation or kingdom with the utmost respect and consideration of the way of life from which they are citizens of. Everything the ambassador does must reflect the way of life that the government or king has established for their citizens.
Let your fruit be good and your saltiness pure. May the love of Christ show through you to enrich each life you come into contact with. If you are not the salt of the earth, then what flavor might you be? Only salt can taste like salt, there are no substitutes for the real thing.
Just what is salt and what is its purpose? Salt is of course a mineral used to season foods, used as a preservative, salt also balances the fluids in our bodies. Salt is required for animal life in small quantities. Basically, salt is a very important element in our daily lives. It serves several purposes and helps sustain the function of our bodies. I have included a link to some good information on salt: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt
Since Christ referred to his disciples as the "salt of the earth" we can look at how we are to be in the world we live in. First of all, we must understand salt. By looking at the link I gave you we can get a good picture of the uses of salt. So, lets just take the use of salt in two areas, one for flavor, the other for preservation. When we use salt in bland foods it makes the food or meal more palatable. It brings a unique quality to the food that we want to enjoy ourselves and share with others so they too may enjoy a good flavorful meal. We all have had food that just did not have enough flavor to make it enjoyable, and in our attempt to eat this food we found it difficult to finish. Our taste buds were telling us this is not good. Although there may be other seasonings added to the meal, you know something is lacking. Once you put salt on the food it becomes more palatable and you can sit and enjoy your meal. So, what has salt done? Salt has brought out and enhanced the flavors that were already present, plus, it added its own unique flavor even when combined with other seasonings. Salt is also used as a preservative. It stops bacteria from growing which would make food unusable. As a preservative meats will not rot and become spoiled and smelly.
Salt can lose its savor, or its saltiness. It will become worthless by losing its saltiness. Once that happens, it cannot enhance, combine with, or preserve. It is useless and becomes good for nothing. Christ said it is so worthless that it can only be cast out and trodden under the feet of men. When Christ referred to salt that has lost its saltiness, he was referring to salt that was exposed to much to the earth, rain and sun, in other words it became contaminated or impure. When this happens salt becomes useless, then it is taken out to the streets to be trodden on by people walking on the street. It simply became more like the earth and had no resemblance to salt. Check out the this link for some facts on saltless salt: Barnes' Notes on the Bible (you will have to scroll down to the section of "Matthew 5:13)
What is the effect that we as followers of Christ, believers, are to have on others? Let me refer you to some verses that speak of fruit. First look at Matthew 7:17, "A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit."
In Matthew 12:33-37 Christ gives a good description not only of the good and bad tree, but He shows us that our fruit comes from our hearts. If we are producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit we become distinguished from the world which does not produce this fruit. So what are we to do in order to produce good fruit? Remember, when we come to Christ we turn our lives over to Him and allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through us. The fruit of the spirit is this: "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things." Galatians 5:22-23. When we allow this fruit in our lives it is like sprinkling the purest of salt on a meal and offer a preservative that will sustain all that it comes into contact with.
When we become contaminated with the ways of the world we begin to lose our saltiness, if we allow the contamination to continue, it will not be long before we are no longer useful as a flavor enhancer or preservative the world needs. Without the salt being pure, or believers in the world that have allowed the contamination of the world to affect their purity in Christ, the world cannot find their way into God's Kingdom. The flavor is no longer distinguishable and the preservative qualities are no longer capable of preserving. So now the question would be, just how salty are you? If the fruit of the Holy Spirit does not show in your life could it be that you have become like the world? We must recognize just where we are in the world today. Christ, when He prayed to the Father for His disciples prayed this, "My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, so they bring me glory. Now I am departing from the world; but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. During my time here, I protected them by the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the scriptures foretold. Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. John 17:9-19
Christ goes on to say that He is not just praying for His disciples at the present time, but for all that come to believe through the disciples message. It is important for us to grasp the fact that once we come to Christ, we are no longer of this world, we have become the salt of the earth expected to flavor the world with the message that Christ gave to us. If we "love God with all of our hearts, all of our minds, and soul," and we show our neighbors not only that we love God, but we "love our neighbors as ourselves," then the saltiness we have will affect all those we come into contact with and they will get to sample the flavorful meal of Gods truth for their lives as well. Let us not lose our saltiness by playing with the world and accepting the worlds ways into our lives, let us be the example of His love and bring the salt to the table to change the flavor of the world around us. We, as the "salt of the earth" are not only a flavor enhancer, we are the preservative in the world that keeps the bacteria of sin from not only our lives, but keeps the evil one at bay and allows those in the world a taste of what Christ is offering them. We can bring a sweet aroma to the world, an aroma of a delicious meal prepared for any who will set down and enjoy it, we are the flavor enhancer that makes the meal exciting, palatable, and something all will not only be happy that they partook of it, but will remember it for a long time. It is a meal that they will want the recipe to. When the world partakes of this meal, will they taste a bit of salt? Without the salt the meal may be a bit bland or even foul tasting because some of the ingredients have become rancid. Are you salty? If you are not the salt of the earth, then you really cannot be distinguished from the world. Christ said "we are in the world, but not of the world," and the apostle Paul states in 2 Corinthians 5:20 that "We are therefore Christ's ambassador's." An ambassador must represent their nation or kingdom with the utmost respect and consideration of the way of life from which they are citizens of. Everything the ambassador does must reflect the way of life that the government or king has established for their citizens.
Let your fruit be good and your saltiness pure. May the love of Christ show through you to enrich each life you come into contact with. If you are not the salt of the earth, then what flavor might you be? Only salt can taste like salt, there are no substitutes for the real thing.
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