Salt is Good for You

Mark 9: ⁴⁹ “For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. ⁵⁰ Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”

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“Boring, sneaky and money hungry” were just a few labels I applied to church-goers. I mean they don’t help “me” when “I” need it. I left the church to strike it out on my own.

• There have been times when I labeled people quickly.
• There have been times when I was going through a trial I caused myself and wanted to blame others.
• There have been times when I looked at what was good as bad and what was bad for me as good.

I was no good to anyone during this period. Mad at the world, I had lost my perspective. JESUS warns everyone of losing perspective.

• GOD says to me “Salt is good.”
• GOD says to me “I will season you with fiery circumstances and preserve your sacrifices through them.”
• GOD says to me “Have peace with those who want to pick fights with you.”

Salt is a preservative. Salt stings. Sale penetrates. Salt adds flavor. JESUS says “Be salt” and I take it to mean preserve people and give them HIS messages with may sting me and them and penetrate our hearts with HIS goodness. My flavor on each relationship brings a taste that GOD has given me. Having salt in me helps me have peace with others.

• Have you given up on people?
• Have you given up period?
• Will you seek GOD and ask for restoration?
• Will you become HIS servant again and follow HIM with your heart?

I Can and I Will

Matthew 16: ²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. ²⁶ What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

²⁸ “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

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“What will they think of me?” was my question when asked to go to church. I was the life of the party for a change. I had been “Goody-goody” for a long time. It seemed like I should be able to do some sinning for a while.

“What will they think of me?” was my question when asked to send a simple faith filled voicemail throughout the company. I mean I was the leader of a very large and influential portion of the company. I had to protect my perception right? Wrong!

• I have been embarrassed to speak about JESUS.
• I have been too filled with sin to speak about JESUS.
• I have been so proud of my accomplishments that I did not want to risk losing “my” position to speak about JESUS.

GOD says to me “If you are ashamed of ME then I will be ashamed of you” and I was truly ashamed of HIM. Human standards got in the way of my living for CHRIST. I bowed to the thought of “You can’t pray here” or “We don’t want you to even speak about JESUS here” even though no one said those words to me.

• JESUS wants me to shine my light before men on a daily basis.
• JESUS wants me to be salt in a world where salt is rejected.
• JESUS wants me to take up my cross by denying myself.

Losing my life means a lot. It means I can pray for all who pass me in the hallways. It means I do not have to be angry at “those” people, instead I can ask GOD for “our” forgiveness. It means I can open my home to my neighbors for JESUS’ purpose instead of hiding my affiliation with HIM.

GOD wants my family, my business, my job, my school, my house, my car, my clothes, my wealth, my desires and lastly my health. HE can do with them as HE pleases and I should learn to praise HIM when I try to hold onto any of them. HE can pry them from my hands in a hurtful way or I can freely give them to HIM, praising HIM along the way.

• What are you holding onto?
• Can you give GOD your home or your office or your school by inviting others into it to learn from HIM?
• Will you take GOD to work with you today and pray for all who pass you?

You are Made Special

Matthew 5: ¹³ “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.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

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After returning back to church from years of absence, I felt my life was going to get back on track. The next day some guys at work travelled out of town on a business trip and they asked me a question no one had asked me before. “Hey, do you want to come out with us to a strip club?” “Why yes of course I will go with you!” I replied. I didn’t want to look like a wimp even though I was scared!

• There have been times I went with the crowd when I shouldn’t have.
• There have been situations that I should have said “NO” to.
• There have been circumstances when I could have been a good example and decided not to.

Pleasing people sometimes means doing the wrong thing. I went with the crowd and did not find the “fun” the guys wanted me to experience. The next Sunday when I was back in church, I felt slimy and guilty, as if everyone in the congregation had watched me enter the dive.

• GOD says to me “You are the salt of the earth” and I am supposed to preserve life, add flavor and heal ailments like salt does.
• GOD says to me “You are the light of the world” and I am supposed to show everyone I meet that HE is first in my life.
• GOD says to me “ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Whenever I lose my saltiness or hide my light, I never succeed with my plan. In fact, I find that my plans fall apart rapidly. The crowd that cheered me on to do the wild act disperses and I am left there having to account for my act, alone. GOD wants me to be truthful to HIM and HIM alone.

HE wants me to do HIS deeds on a daily basis so that people can be drawn back to HIM. HE made me so I am supposed to serve HIM all of my life.

• Are you hiding your GODLY relationship?
• Are you following the crowd?
• Can you stop trying to please humans and start trying to please GOD?

How to “be” friendly.

Colossians 4: ⁵ Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. ⁶ Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

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“You’re too skinny” or “where did you find those clothes” or “do you own a comb” were the insults hurled at me as a child. After I grew up and learned to like myself, I became witty, sometimes a little too witty. People would gather around as I hurled insults at other folks as if it were a comedy routine.

The laughter ended when someone told me how hurt they were by my antics. Wow, I had become what I hated!

• Any insult thrown at someone else is not pleasing to GOD.
• Insulting language may be misinterpreted by an “outsider” which weakens my witness.
• Complaints, bitter or harsh words will make an “outsider” miss GOD’s holiness inside me.

Laughter is acceptable when “everyone” agrees the joke is funny but an “outsider” may not know the nuances of the joke. GOD wants me to “make the most of every opportunity” to draw people to HIM.  I don’t think it means never laugh again, rather focus on getting to know this person just for a moment.

• GOD wants me to have conversations that draw people to HIM.
• GOD desires me to have words that show “grace” and “mercy” rather than insults.
• GOD loves when my words are “seasoned with salt” which is just the right amount of HIS word.

People are watching me constantly. They listen to how I handle the irate and belligerent and watch to see if I will join into their rants. “Outsiders” could be people who may not know JESUS as their savior who need to see “grace” and wisdom. This is why HE wants me to make the most of “every” opportunity.

I have a choice, insult, complain, spit poison or show “grace” and use wise “salt seasoned” words. I now choose words that draw people to HIM instead of getting all the attention.

• Do you insult other people to draw laughter?
• Are you trying to mask your own faults by laughing at someone else?
• Do you realize every insulting word you say may be misinterpreted by an “outsider?”
• Can you get rid of complaints, bitterness, lying, and insults for at least one day?

You are made to "change" others, not have others "change" you!

Matthew 5:13"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 by men. 14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither 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. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

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I went to a party at work once and there were people telling foul jokes after getting drunk out of their minds. I was conflicted because at that time, years ago, I had just returned to serving CHRIST. I didn't know much about the Bible and I avoided church because of the hypocrisy.

There I was not knowing what to do. Join in as I have in the past or stand firm. I chose to stand firm while not judging. "How 'bout a drink?" they would ask. "No thanks", I replied. Then the question would come out. "Why not?" Now, there is nothing wrong with drinking, but I had just made a promise to GOD that "I" would no longer drink.

What was I going to say? Should I tell then I turned over a new leaf for CHRIST? Should I tell them I am a new creation? This is my chance to shine some light into the world! So I muttered "I stopped drinking" and before I went into why someone interrupted us and my words about CHRIST never came out.

I wonder what I would have said then. Now I know. After many encounters similar to this one I would say the "right" thing to the crowd I am speaking to. What's the right thing?

Well, on occasion I blurted out "it's because of CHRIST that I don't drink any longer." Of course my statement was full of pride and judgment so the crowd slowly crept away from me.

Another occasion I tried to be sly and 'slip JESUS in' by saying "I just started going to church" as weird as I felt, a couple of people complimented me and resumed their conversation. Wow, that was anticlimactic. Where were the pats on the back and the angels singing?

"Salt and light" are not "pride and judgment."
"Salt and light" does not expect fan fair.
"Salt and light" does things to celebrate what GOD has done for them. HE did everything for us now we are to be salt and light to celebrate CHRIST. "
"Salt and light" points people to CHRIST and does not focus people on our actions.
"Salt and light" leads people and does not blame them.

• Are you ashamed to admit you are a Christian to that person or group?
• Have you hidden your light just to fit in?
• Are you blaming someone for your situation?
• Do people around you praise GOD because of your life or are they running away from you?