Corona Devo 3076
Have we been letting-things-slip?
Have the days gotten busy or the schedule harried...and pretty soon we are doing just what it takes to get by? Or "whatever" it takes to get by?
Brothers and Sisters--God has more for us, and today is a good day to "reset" and to be reminded of the beautiful and weighty (salt and light) call that the Lord has upon our lives as His children.
"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 so shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. ~Matthew 5:13–16
I like these verses because they are straightforward (no theology degree required!). Jesus is saying that the purpose of salt is to be salty. Salt flavors things, it preserves things, and its purpose is to be salty. And if the salt isn't salty: it's worthless.
The purpose of light is to give light. We light a candle so that it might give light to everyone in the house, or we put on our phone-light to peer into a dark area. And if the light is not lighting the darkness: it’s worthless.
What Jesus is saying is that salt and light must fulfill their basic purposes. As Christians, whether in school, college, our workplaces, teams, families, or churches: let's remember our main purpose today.
Our purpose is be lights and to purify our surroundings with Christ. We are to shine God's light in the darkness. If we try to hide our light, we really have no purpose for our existence.
Our main purpose is to be salty and to flavor the world around us for Christ, and to preserve God's Word and teachings to others. And if the salt isn't salty: it's worthless.
(Have we been feeling worthless?) Then perhaps we might need to take an honest assessment of ourselves and our faith to see if we have been shining for Christ in the darkness and being salty for our Savior.
As we review the past year, how did we do? Were we able to declare our faith in public ways, or were we a Christian-coward, "blending in" with the culture?
Were we able to find a way to invite/live/say to those around us that “I am a Christ-follower"? Can people know unmistakably that Christ is how we think and act?
God's heart and hope for us is that no one goes from "salty" to "salt free", but (if we're honest) we all lose some of our saltiness from time to time. And this is exactly what Jesus is warning us about in the salt and light verses of Matthew 5:13–16.
When it comes to the TV shows/movies/music/books that we decide to take-in, are we losing some of our saltiness and compromising, and thus hiding our light under a bowl? Or do we boldly take a stand to preserve our saltiness and declare ourselves Believers? How about the beverages we consume or the relationships we establish?
So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. (18) They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. (19) Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
(20) That, however, is not the way of life you learned (21) when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. (22) You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; (23) to be made new in the attitude of your minds; (24) and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. ~Ephesians 4:17–24
These verses urge us not to live as those who are “darkened
in their understanding", but to put-off our old selves and to be renewed in Christ
and not to lose our sensitivity to sin. This means rejecting entitlement ("I'm old enough", or "I've earned it") and rejecting the idea
that age/experience/money/intellect alone justifies any behavior. Instead, we are called to pursue true
righteousness and holiness.
Yes, we possibly are old-enough or maybe we are justified in it, but...is (this decision/action/relationship) beneficial to us?
“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.” ~I Corinthians 6:12
~~~
Where have we lost some of our saltiness?
This year: Let your light so shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
Do we need some practical steps for spiritual growth?
- Quiet Time (Prayer and Bible Reading)
- Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. ~Mark 1:35
- This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength... ~Isaiah 30:15
- Fellowship: Surround yourself with others who boldly declare their faith and refuse to compromise.
- Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools suffers harm. ~Proverbs 13:20
Let’s move forward starting today in God’s instruction and promises.
“Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” ~Joshua 3:5
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