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“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.’ Matthew 5:13
How we feel about ourselves is extremely important in our family relationships, work relationships and virtually every other aspect of our daily lives. Psychologists refer to our view of ourselves as our ‘self-image’ and it includes our feelings, emotions, intellect and experiences growing up. It encompasses a person’s entire being.
Jesus often taught us about who we were when we lived in relationship with the Father. This week let’s take just five of these statements. I call them the five ‘You Are’ Statements of Jesus.
The first ‘You Are’ statement comes from Matthew 5:13. This passage is one of the beginning sections of the great ‘Sermon on the Mount’. Jesus says to his listeners, “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.’
The first thing we need to do is to realize what salt meant to the people of Jesus’ day. Salt was extremely valuable, especially in the ancient world. In fact, its value cannot be under estimated. Roman soldiers received their wages in salt. The Greeks considered salt to be divine. The Mosaic Law required that all offerings presented by the Israelites contain salt. (Lev. 2:13)
When Jesus told his disciples that they were “the salt of the earth”, they understood the meaning of that statement. They were a valuable commodity! The same is true for us today. You need to realize that no matter where you are in life, Jesus Christ sees you as a thing of great value.
In our day, salt may not hold the same value as in Jesus’ day, but it still has many useful analogies for our lives. Salt enhances the flavor of our food. In the same way, we as believers in Jesus Christ are called on to add flavor to the lives of those around us. When I was in college a friend of mine came to my apartment to babysit my two small children while I went out. When I returned, she had taken it upon herself to make Peanut Butter cookies for the new boyfriend she wanted to impress. She offered me a cookie and it was a good thing she did! She had mistaken the container of salt for sugar. The cookies were inedible because they were all salt.
A good lesson for us to learn is that salt, when used properly, is not overpowering. Some foods require more salt than others. Some require less. In our life situations we need to seek Godly wisdom to know how to add just the right amount of salt to each situation; in other words, just the right amount of living our faith is important to show the love of Christ to others.
Not only does salt add flavor to food, and life, it also acts as a preservative. Those listening to Jesus knew the preserving function of salt. Salt was added to fish and other foods in order to keep it from spoiling in the hot, Judean sunshine. We, in turn need to make a stand for what is right in our world. However we should do so in a loving, gentle manner. That means we take a stand for God’s Word without being judgmental and offensive. Jesus exemplified this by the fact that he was a friend of sinners.
Jesus says one more thing about salt. He offers us something of a warning when he says, “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 warns us that salt can become contaminated, corrosive and even poisonous. When this happens, it’s worthless and must be thrown out. It’s so worthless it can’t even be used on fields as fertilizer. This thing of great value can become a thing of danger or disappointment.
Sometimes we make decisions and choices that destroy our testimony for Christ. We lose, in a sense, our saltiness through disobedience. The good news is that there is always hope. You can never be so ‘un-salty’ that God cannot use you! I John 1:9 reminds us that if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. Confession and repentance restores our saltiness so we can be used effectively by God. It may take some time for others to trust us. It may take some time for this new saltiness to make a difference. But we can know, because of God’s promises, that he will restore us completely through his Grace and the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.
My prayer for you today is that you will be salt to those around you. If you have lost that saltiness I pray you will go to the Father and ask Jesus for forgiveness. Jesus didn’t say ‘some of you’ are salt, he said YOU are the salt of the earth, and if he says it, it must be true.
PRAYER: Father God I pray for those struggling today. I thank you that we are the salt of the earth. Help us to be that flavor in our relationships that brings others to saving faith in you. Amen.
Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. Romans 12:21 (NLT)
Remember the game you played in Jr. High? A friend punches you, kicks you or plays a prank of some sort on you and yells, “Even”. Maybe this was more of a guy thing, but I remember it well. It usually started out relatively harmless. Sometimes it could escalate into a full-blown war. It may have started with an accidental push and usually you never knew who really started it. One thing you did know is that ‘Even’ never happened because you always had to get in the last act of (usually) playful violence.
There is, deep within us, the desire to win, to stand for ourselves, to be victorious. It may be buried under years of physical, emotional or sexual abuse. It still lies beneath the scars of our pain, but it’s there. It’s longing cries out to us. Its desire cloaks itself in anger, hopelessness, fear and worry. We use chemicals, lifestyle and other control issues to soothe its longing.
The fact of the matter is, we’ll never be victorious as long as we have the attitude of “It’s me against the world.” Until we realize we are nothing more than pawns in a cosmic, spiritual battle we’ll continue to try to win a battle we can never emerge from victorious.
The lifestyle of the Christ-follower is one of dichotomies. The war for our souls is no exception. The best way to ‘win’ is to ‘lose’. The best way to ‘be strong’, is to ‘be weak’. The best way to ‘get even’ is to ‘give in’. The best way to combat the evil in our lives is to do good. Evil acts will always conceive more evil. The only remedy is to allow the Holy Spirit of God enter into your life and develop his fruit in your soul. “God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways” (Galatians 5:22-23 —CEV).
The Christian life is one of dichotomies. Society says, “Revenge is the best way to handle conflict”. God says, “Doing good in the face of evil destroys evil.” Society says lives by the adage, “I did it my way”. God says, “It’s my power working in you, not your power that accomplishes things.”
When faced with the desire to ‘get even’, remember you will accomplish much more by taking a step back and seeking God’s power and wisdom to know how you can best turn this evil into good; to show Christ-like character to those needing the freedom grace has to offer.
PRAYER: Father God, there are so many times when I’m mistreated, offended, ignored and blamed. During those times when I seek to get even give me the wisdom to follow your path and show Christ’s love in response to those who persecute me. Amen.
No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. 2 Timothy 2:4 (NIV)
Military service is far more appealing during times of peace than in times of war. Growing up in the 1960’s, I remember the protests and controversy surrounding the Vietnam War. Every year the military drew dates for the draft. Those dates became the order in which men were required to report for military service and inevitably deployment overseas. The higher your number, the more likely you were to be chosen.
With few exceptions, there was no way out of fulfilling your requirements. Those that were called and survived left as boys and, the lucky ones, returned as men who’d seen things no man alive would want to see. But they hadn’t been called to be tourists. They were called as soldiers with a job to do.
It’s interesting that Paul makes the analogy of the servant of Christ and a soldier when he writes to his young protégé, Timothy. All those in the Mediterranean world knew about soldiers. Rome’s tight grip on the world was due to the presence of a well-trained and disciplined army. There may have been atrocities, but the main goal of the soldier was to keep Rome strong and they did very well at it for hundreds of years.
Soldiers aren’t called to live in peace, they are called to acquire and keep the peace. As soldiers for Christ we must remember that we are at war. Our main charge is not to develop strong churches and cool programs. While worship of almighty God is essential, one must never forget that we have but one command from our commander and that command is spelled out very succinctly in Matthew 28. We are to make disciples and teach them about Jesus.
Jesus didn’t make disciples from good, church-going men and women. He didn’t spend his time preaching to the choir; in fact he made it clear he was called to make disciples and followers from the sick, the destitute, and the immoral. The healthy don’t need a doctor, the sick do.
Each of us is called to be a soldier for Christ. Our primary job is to live the gospel of Jesus Christ out in a way that shows the world they can experience forgiveness and freedom from the sins and struggles that hold them captive.
Whether you are in full-time ministry or a factory worker, a teacher or a hamburger flipper, your mission is the same. Disciples aren’t made through well-designed programs or social media. Disciples are made through hand-to-hand combat.
As a soldier for Jesus, who can you touch today? Who do you know in your circles that need to feel the encouragement, forgiveness and freedom of the grace you have received through Christ? They don’t need to hear your sermons. You don’t need to have a seminary degree to show them the way. You just need to be willing to share your life with them.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, you have called us to be a soldier in your army. Empower us with your Spirit to stay true to our calling so that we may win others to you. Amen.
When King David heard all this, he was furious. 2 Samuel 13:21 (NIV)
King David had many wives and children from those relationships. One day, one of his sons, driven by passion and lust tricked David and his half-sister into having her deliver food to his house. Once there he raped her.
There was no way that word of the attack didn’t reach the palace. In fact all of Jerusalem probably knew about the incident. Yet there was no ‘official word’ from the King as to any punitive action taken, other than the fact that David was reported to be very angry with the situation.
Two years later, another of David’s sons, Absalom, made good on a promise he’d made to his sister, the rape victim. He murdered his half-brother in retaliation for the incident that had been festering in his soul from the day his sister came sobbing to him with news of the attack.
Again, no ‘official statement’ came from the throne. However it was reported that the king was ‘deeply grieved’ over the events surrounding the death of his son.
Three years later, Absalom returned to Jerusalem. This time his goal was to gain the throne of his father, David. The ensuing civil war nearly cost David his throne…and cost him the death of one more of his children.
Absalom story is a perfect example of what can happen when sin isn’t confronted. Although David is referred to as ‘a man after God’s own heart’ his failure to lead his family speaks volumes!
Jesus calls us to be peacemakers. There is an old saying that ‘time heals all wounds.’ This is a lie. Don’t believe it. Wounds that are left to heal on their own are like cancer that goes untreated. The outside of the person may appear healthy and doing well, but inside a hideous beast is waiting to surface.
Allowing time to heal usually gives frustration, anger, resentment and bitterness to get a foothold on ones soul. That’s why Jesus taught us that if someone sins against us we are to leave everything and get it resolved. Paul tells us that we are called to ministry of reconciliation and that we shouldn’t let the sun set before we attempt to resolve the issue.
Conflict is inevitable. There will be some who simply refuse to reconcile. As children of God we are called to live at peace with all people regardless of the differences we have. Who do you need to forgive today? Who needs to be forgiven by you? What wrong have you been avoiding any involvement in? As a follower of Jesus it’s not an option to resolve conflict, it’s our duty.
PRAYER: Father God, you know how easy it is for me to become avoidant in the midst of conflict. Empower me with your Spirit to be a minister of reconciliation and grace to those who have wronged me and to those I’ve wronged. Amen.
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15 (NIV)
Conflict is inevitable. You probably didn’t need to have someone tell you that! From the beginning of time conflict has been a part of human existence. It’s not ‘IF’ you will experience conflict but when you experience conflict and how you deal with it that matters.
Conflict is defined as, “The competitive or opposing action of incompatibles; an antagonistic state or action (as of divergent ideas, interests, or persons).”
From a human perspective, conflict had its origins in the Garden of Eden. The first person to experience conflict was Eve. The serpent (Satan) not only questioned her regarding God’s commands, he brought conflict into her mind. For perhaps the first time she was faced with opposing viewpoints. Up to this time we can only surmise that obedience (based on a passionate love relationship with her creator) was unquestioned. When you begin to question God, you leave room for conflict.
The next significant act of conflict wasn’t with God, but with fellow man. In an act of jealous rage, Cain killed his brother Abel. The rest is, as they say, history. Conflict, whether between men or men with God really has the same motivating force: the desire for peace within our soul. We may be led to believe the lie that the hunger for peace in our soul can be quenched by new relationships, new career paths or a bigger bank account. We may try to drown the pain of that hole by chemicals or religious experience, but until our hearts are right with God, nothing will work.
Now for the good news. Your heavenly Father wants to restore the lost relationship. Colossians 1:19-20 states, “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”
What this means is that through Jesus Christ, God wants to restore the relationship we lost in the garden. Furthermore, Philippians 4:7 reminds us that “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Jesus Christ opens the path to a new, vibrant relationship with God. When that happens and we grow to completeness through Christ, his peace will guard our soul, our emotions, or feelings. It will work towards conquering the fear, worry, anger, hate and frustration of human conflict.
Will making our relationship with God cure our human conflicts? Unfortunately not. But having a right relationship with God opens the door to healthier relationships as we learn to lean on him and trust him with our hearts.
Let the peace of Jesus calm you as you grow in relationship to him. Daily give him control of your relationships so he can protect your soul from the attacks of conflict. May the following prayer empower you to peace in the midst of conflict.
PRAYER: Father God. I thank you for the restoration of a love relationship I can have with you through Jesus Christ. Empower me to rest on you in the midst of the human conflict I am facing. May the peace only Jesus can offer strengthen me. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 