WELL SEASONED AND WELL LIT

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

"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.”

"You are the light of the world. A city 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 men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:13-16

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

How effective am I in my work for Christ Jesus?

A simple question but one that every Christian should always be asking themselves. After all, if we’re truly going to profess ourselves to be Christian (or in other words, striving to be Christ-like), then we had better check regularly to see just how well we’re succeeding in that very endeavor.

So how would you grade yourself in accomplishing the Great Commission of Jesus to make disciples and teach them to obey all He commanded? And what would be your measure of effectiveness?

Well, Jesus took some time to talk about this very subject in our passage as we continue to examine His teaching from the Sermon on the Mount.

As we read His words, we see that He uses two distinct analogies to describe what we should be if we are to properly represent Him while going forth to carry out His will and way.

First, He tells us that we are the “salt of the earth”.

Huh?

What does salt have to do with effective evangelism and soul winning?

To find the answer, you have to look at the nature of salt and what it was used for in the New Testament days.

You see, salt was used as a primary preservation element for meat and fish. As long as salt maintained its nature and was salt, then it was useful to keep meat from spoiling and being ruined. If salt lost its saltiness, it was of no use and could preserve nothing. Or as Jesus said, “…if the salt loses its saltiness, …It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”

A salty Christian is one who is filled with the Holy Spirit and thus walking in the ways of Jesus, fully attuned to His word and way. Well seasoned in Jesus, one can be effectively used by Him to preserve others…to prevent them from falling prey to Satan and his desire to spoil and ruin.

Turn from Jesus and align yourself with the world’s will and way…and you will lose your saltiness. Void of the Spirit, you won’t be able to save anyone from ruin and waste. In other words, you will not be good for anything that Christ might want to use you for.

Jesus also uses the analogy of light to show us how He expects us to witness to others about Him, telling us that we are the “light of the world”…and it’s just not natural for light to not shine and illuminate everything around it. In its purest sense, light is unavoidable to those who are in its presence.

So just how well does your light shine?

Is your lamp out, yielding way to darkness? Is it lit and under a bowl, concealed from sight?

Or is your light shining brightly on everyone you come in contact with so that they can’t help but see Jesus…the One who proclaimed, “…I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)

In other words…as Christians we are only the light of the world because we have the true Light, Jesus, living and abiding within us.

Again I ask, “How well is your light working today?”

You can know the answer by how you’re living.

If you’re living fully for Jesus, then your light is shining on everyone you encounter…”that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

If you’re not living for Jesus, then you are dark and pretty useless for anyone who is trying to find their way to their Savior.

In the end, Christians need to be salt and light…well seasoned and well lit…preserving and guiding others out of the dark and toward their only hope and salvation…Jesus.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com