BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty
again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”
(Mark 9:50)
MEDITATION:
If you are a “saltaholic” like I am, then you probably salt your
food before you even taste it. You just assume that it will not be
seasoned enough for you and you dread the thought of tasting
something you feel should be salted, but it’s not! Your food may
be too salty for others, but for you it’s just right.
God’s salt is available for everyone, but some choose not to use it.
A world that is not seasoned by the Lord will turn to chaos which
creates an environment of “every man for himself”. But God’s salt
seasons the earth with love and concern for others. It also creates
a desire in people to find the Lord, and to be near Him.
Imagine living in a world where there is not one person who is
committed to serving the Lord. A world where everyone is too
busy living their own lives, and no one is willing to sacrifice any
of their time for serving God and pointing others to His Son. A
world where not a single person is willing to use the spiritual
gift God has given them to use in serving Him.
In today’s world, Christianity has become so orderly and
sophisticated that it could be losing its flavor. People still
go to church on Sundays (although in smaller numbers now
than in the past), but it has become more of a scheduled event
in the lives of some who may have forgotten that we are joining
with other believers to praise and worship the Lord.
We pray, sing songs of praise, and listen with interest and
excitement as someone shares a message with us regarding
God’s Word. It is also a time when we have fellowship with
our brothers and sisters in Christ and encourage each other.
It is not a gathering where people evaluate others to determine
if they are dressed as they should be dressed, act as they should
be acting, or sit where they should be sitting. It is not a place
where we complain about the appearance of the sanctuary, the
delivery style of the speaker, or whether there is a choir (and
if there is a choir, are they wearing choir robes, or not?).
As people gathered around Jesus when He walked the earth in
human form, they were excited to hear what He had to say to
them. They often left other things undone at the time, because
listening to Jesus was more important to them.
They had a thirst for Him, and it didn’t make any difference
what anyone was wearing, or the conditions of where they
were meeting. When Jesus was with them, they were blessed
with an abundance of salt! That is how we should be today
whenever we obey His command to join in worship.
‘Materialism’ and ‘secularism’ are sweeping over the world,
but thank God there are some who have sacrificed their time,
and social position, so they could serve Him and His Kingdom.
The efforts of these dedicated people of faith are one of the
reasons why God’s Word continues to salt the earth.
There is an old adage that says,
“twenty percent of the people do eighty percent of the work”.
However it may be even less than twenty percent these days
because there are less people involved in doing God’s work
(which includes answering His call to use the spiritual gift He
has given them; serving Him it is an outward expression of our
internal thankfulness for receiving His gracious gift of salvation).
Although it may not have been explained to us by the pastor at
the church we attend, or the pastor of the church where we chose
to surrender our life to the Lord, the truth is, God did not ‘save
us to sit’. When we committed our lives to Him, it meant we were
willing to do whatever God expects of us, as His disciples.
Pastors and missionaries commit their entire lives to serving Him
and there are a lot of folks who expect them to be doing all of the
work. But that’s not God’s design. He expects all believers to be
involved in the work He is doing. When we received salvation, He
gave us two valuable tools we need for serving Him:
– Spiritual Gift (a special gift tailored to each person’s capabilities).
– Holy Spirit (our advocate (helper) to guide us in using the spiritual
gift we have been given, and to assist us in being transformed to
become more like Jesus, the One we have committed to following).
When we look at the conversation Jesus had with Peter, His
questions should be convicting to us as well (since we also
have become His disciples after He saved us).
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter,
“Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
The third time he said to him,
“Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time,
“Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things;
you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
(John 21:15-17)
What was Jesus saying to Peter? Wasn’t He emphasizing how
Peter should be concerned about others, and that he should
have a desire to see them know Jesus as he did? Jesus may
have been telling Peter that as long as he was comfortable
just being with Jesus, he wasn’t using the salt he had received
from God.
We should ask ourselves,
“As His disciples, would a God who does not show
favoritism, expect anything different of us than
He did of Peter and the disciples with Jesus?”
Imagine this (and replace the name Wilson with your name):
Jesus says,
“Wilson, do you love Me?”
Wilson says,
“Lord, You know I love You, I read my Bible every day”
Jesus says,
“Wilson, do you love Me?”
Wilson says,
“Lord, You know I love You, I attend church very week”
Jesus says,
“Wilson, do you love Me?”
Wilson says,
“Lord, You know I love You, I pray every day, and I am
kind to others; I help them, and treat them with respect”
Jesus says,
“Wilson, how do I KNOW you love Me? How are you FEEDING
my sheep? What are you DOING to encourage others to know Me?
How are you USING the spiritual gift I have given you? How is the
Holy Spirit I sent you, affecting the things you think, say, and do?
How are you contributing to my Father’s ministry in the world you
live in? How are you PROVING your unselfishness by serving Me
and My Father?”
ACTION:
Even if the world is losing God’s saltiness, we are told that we
should ensure we have His salt within ourselves. What about
our salt content? Does our salt have plenty of flavor, or has its
saltiness been diminished by our complaints and laziness?
What contributions are we making to help retain God’s saltiness
in our world? What changes should we make in our own life to
protect and enhance the flavor of God’s salt? Are we guilty of
thinking, or saying, “God didn’t call me to serve”? Yes, He did!
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for the salt of Your presence
in this world. Remind me that You saved me so I could be
one of Your disciples. Teach me to have the same desire
the disciples with Jesus had as they enthusiastically served
You. Show me how to use the gifts and talents I received
from You, to serve You by pointing others toward Jesus.
Create an abundance of Your salt in me, so it will spill over
to those near me and others I meet. Give me a restlessness
in my life that can only be calmed when I surrender my total
life to You. Help me to become one of Your ‘modern day’
disciples with a desire to please and serve You, using what
You have given me.”
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