Salt And Light
God has given us all a part to play in His-Story. Our roles may vary but we should all be aware That God is asking us to be the “Salt and Light to
the World”. The question is, What does that mean for us?
"We Are The Salt Of The Earth"
Matthew 5:13 New International Version
Salt and Light“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?
It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
Jesus emphasized to His disciples that they have both the calling and the responsibility to
influence in the world for His sake.
As followers of Jesus we have the same responsibility to influence the world in this way.
If we hold onto the belief that God will do things through us, we will have the privilege
to help preserve what is good and help enlighten those engrained in this world to the truth
of the Gospel.
"We Are The Light Of The World"
Matthew 5:14-16 New International Version
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither
do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on
its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Our mission from God is to be a light to the world. We are to be the light to those who
are lost and living without the Gospel. We can share our Faith in Christ to those God has chosen to receive it as well as put a new light to the secular worldview of the stereotypical Christian who they say act in a self righteous ways and in may cases are known for their acts of hypocrisy.
What I want to emphasize is that God has a purpose
for each of us. This purpose may not always
be fully recognizable but God is always working toward His good purpose.
Philippians 2:13 New International Version
for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
Even though we serve God, we may
not see the greater impact of our service and devotion
this side of
eternity. But we must still remember that as part of the “Body”
of Christ, the little
things we do in our everyday lives that imitate the love of Christ, can have a
powerful impact
on this world. We must
remember that we should not take our small acts of love, compassion and
grace for granted.
We can start the process of being “Salt and Light” in our homes and
branch out in our workplaces, spheres of influence, and ministries that God has called us to. For example, we should take to heart the importance of Parenting.
As followers of Jesus we should be the main influence
in our children’s lives not the public or state run schools. Not secular music nor
Television.
If we allow the present culture to raise our kids we
will have to battle for their very souls, fighting
to overturn the lies that they have been fed to them by an
ever growing secular thinking society.
In our marriages we can be “Salt and Light” to one
another. Our marriages need a strong foundation.
A “Christ Centered” marriage can withstand great
opposition from the “Enemy” who wants to destroy the oneness and unity that comes from God’s design.
God puts people in our path on a daily basis. What
are we doing to influence their thinking? I believe that each person that enters into our “Zone Of Influence”
can get a taste of God’s Truth, love, grace and
compassion. This could have a profound effect on how they view life and eternity.
Just by opening up our hearts to be compassionate and to be a good listener, can open many doors of opportunity. We can also invite our friends and Co-workers to
our churches. I believe people truly desire to be part of a loving Community.
Most people will not take that opportunity to go to church unless invited to do so.
Remember there is a driving force in our culture
that is trying to get us focused on serving self interest instead of what is best for society as a whole. Secularists have a campaign to remove God from the public arena and they seem to be gathering more steam as the courts are making judgements in their favor.
Our culture is so influenced by the enemies of God that we are now seeing attempts to get people to believe that it is OK to satisfy the temptations we face. Areas which
used to be considered sin are no longer viewed the same way. We know that acting on temptation is a major stumbling block
to living a life set apart to God. Yet, the lines of good and evil are being blurred and
traps are being set for all of us to fall into if we are not careful by being alert and by standing firm in our faith.
Remember this:
1 Peter 5:8 New International Version
for someone to devour.
This is why it is so important for us to be focused
on our daily relationship with God.
Through
Christ we have the power to turn away from sin and re-focus our
lives on His mission and desires
for us. We need to influence our community in ways that point to God’s truth, His Love, His Hope and His Salvation.
The next time you sit down to a meal add a
little salt or spice to it. Notice how the flavor of the food comes alive. If we add the spice of God’s truth to the world, we may get to see others
come alive as well.
Just Sayin………………………Dave
We think of our impact in life during times of epic events, but many times our impact is more of a "butterfly effect". As Maximus proclaims to his troops in "Gladiator" (one of the best movies of all time): "What we do in life echoes in eternity."
ReplyDeleteA little salt goes a long way.