August 27, 2014

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it gives light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your  good  works, and glorify your father which is  in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

I found this today and thought it made the point well.

PARABLE OF THE CANDLES

There was a blackout one night. When the lights went out, I fumbled to the closet where we keep the candles for nights like this ... I lit four of them. I was turning to leave with the large candle in my hand when I heard a voice, 

"Now, hold it right there."

"Who said that?"

"I did." The voice was near my hand.

"Who are you? What are you?"

"I'm a candle."

I lifted up the candle to take a closer look. There was a tiny face in the wax. "Don't take me out of here!"

"What?"

"I said, Don't take me out of this room."

"What do you mean? I have to take you out. You're a candle. Your job is to give light. It's dark out there."

"But you can't take me out. I'm not ready," the candle explained with pleading eyes. "I need more preparation."

I couldn't believe my ears. "More preparation?"

"Yeah, I've decided I need to research this job of light-giving so I won't go out and make a bunch of mistakes. You'd be surprised how distorted the glow of an untrained candle can be..."

"All right then," I said. "You're not the only candle on the shelf. I'll blow you out and take the others!"

But right then I heard other voices, "We aren't going either!"

I turned to the other candles, "You are candles and your job is to light dark places!"

"Well, that may be what you think," said the first one, "You may think we have to go, but I'm busy ... I'm meditating on the importance of light. It's really enlightening."

"And you other two," I asked, "Are you going to stay, too?"

A short, fat, purple candle with plump cheeks spoke up. "I'm waiting to get my life together, I'm not stable enough."

The last candle had a female voice, very pleasant to the ear. "I'd like to help, "she explained, "but lighting the darkness is not my gift ... I'm a singer. I sing to other candles to encourage them to burn more brightly."

She began a rendition of "This Little Light of Mine." The other three joined in, filling the closet with singing.

I took a step back and considered the absurdity of it all. Four perfectly healthy candles singing to each other about light but refusing to come out of the closet.

Here is a question for you--when was the last time you shared the gospel to someone? This world is full of darkness, with many people stumbling around trying to find their way. You can be a light for them, and believe me, there's a light waiting for you. It can all happen with something as sharing the faith, to just a smile across the room, to a quick hello to a forgotten friend.

August 26, 2014

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

When Jesus declared His followers are "the salt of the earth" and the "light of the world" He is using the indicative mood in each case. In other words, He is stating a fact! He is not saying "you might be" or "you could be" or "you should be" he is saying you ARE salt and light!

Jesus said, "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)

So, If you are a believer and Jesus is in you and Jesus is light you will be light! 

How could it be otherwise?

What is the nature of this light?

First, the light is His Word

Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by me." (John 14:6)

John wrote, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."  (John 1:1-5)

In the Bible truth is represented by light and ignorance is represented by darkness.

When Jesus referred to Himself as the "Light of the world" He is declaring He is the truth! And when He calls you "the light of the world" He is stating that you are a bearer of His truth to a dark world.

Second, the light is your witness

Jesus tells us in these verses that our good works are a witness to the light of God in us. The purpose of our witness is to glorify God.

What are those good works?

Being merciful is a good work. When someone gives you grief and you give them grace, that glorifies God!

Being pure in heart is a good work. When love motivates your thoughts, words and deeds that gives glory to God!

Being a peacemaker is a good work. When you step into discord or dissension and bring peace, you bring glory to God.

Third, the light is a warning

I was driving back from the Richmond airport last week and a light flashed on in my dashboard. It said "maintenance required". 

I took that as a warning and got it checked out as soon as I could. It turned out to be a false alarm but I was glad I had it looked at.

Jesus places His "lights" in the world to share the Word and to show a witness but also to give a warning to those lost in darkness.

The only way I knew that I had fallen short of the glory of God was because His people by the Word and by their witness shined light on my darkness.

I am very thankful God sent a warning light to lead me out of darkness into His light!

You are the light of the world!

Will you shine His light today?

Will you show His light today?

Will you send a warning light?

August 25, 2014

"Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall." Psalm 55:22

You have probably heard this: "Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death."

The moral:

It doesn't matter if you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you better be running.

No one enjoys being fearful, but fear is a powerful motivator. In our verse for today, the Psalmist offers some great advice, "Let your anxiety drive you to the Lord."

Recently there have been some anxiety-producing events. Last week it was the precipitous fall of the stock market. Events in the Middle East continue to escalate. Yesterday the earth shook in an area of the USA where earthquakes are rare. And this week-end a powerful hurricane has taken aim on the Carolina coast. How are you supposed to cope with these fearful developments?

"Cast your cares".

"Cast" in Hebrew means: to throw out, throw down, throw away, to hurl. It does not mean to take back what you have cast, nor to cherish, or keep - but to cast, toss, throw away from yourself.

"Cares" in Hebrew means: whatever is given by providence. That means every part of your personality, talents, thoughts, body, emotions, worries, burdens, joys, and gifts.

"LORD" as used here in Hebrew means - Eternal, Jehovah, self-existent. The One with no beginning and no end. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come, the Almighty." Rev. 1:8; 21:6; 22:13.

Piece all these truths together and you get: "Throw and hurl everything that has been given to you onto the Lord. Everything that has been given to you, you are to throw onto the Lord and not to take it back."

That is your part. If you will do your part, here's what God will do:

"Sustain" in Hebrew means: "To keep in and contain, To abide, remain with and reside, To receive, comprehend and guide, To feed, nourish, make provision for and provide sustenance for."

God makes this personal - "You" - means God is willing and able to do this for you, just the way you are. No changes are needed to come before the Lord God Almighty.

Putting this all together: The Lord Jesus Christ will do all these thing for the one who casts to Him all that they have been, are now, and will be. Every facet of your life must be given away for Him in order for your joy to be full. God Himself will nourish and help you through what you are going through, no matter what it is!

"Fall" in Hebrew means: "To waver, slip, shake, fall; To be carried, cast, be out of course, be fallen in decay."

Add it up like this: The Lord God Almighty will never ever cause the just, clean and righteous person to slip and fall or be carried, cast, or be out of course and be fallen in decay. The Lord God will keep His child, that means the one who trust in Him and loves Him and obeys Him in Spirit and in Truth, He will keep that child cared for and nurtured, steadfast in His Love and protection.

What kept you from sleeping well last night? What caused you to awake with anxieties today? You can carry that again today or you can cast it on Him. Your fears can drain you or they can drive you to Him.

Listen to the Psalmist!

April 24, 2014

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men." Matthew 5:13

The Beatitudes, like the remainder of the Sermon on the Mount is a call to change the world. 

Those who have taken it seriously HAVE changed the world.

I found this video about changing the world and it inspired me. I thought I would share it with you!

http://youtu.be/pxBQLFLei70

His remarks are not strictly Scriptural but they are powerful truths and all truth comes from God.

What will you do today to change your world?

Your world awaits.

So does Jesus.

August 23, 2014

Jesus is radically righteous!

Jesus is radical because His righteousness comes from a relationship with a Holy Righteous God.

Jesus describes the path to that righteousness in the Beatitudes that we have studied over the Summer:

  

Jesus is calling you to radical righteousness!

So, how do you know you have truly been made righteous?

Jesus provides three proofs of a righteous person:

1) They will be persecuted and yet be able to rejoice in the midst of persecution.

2) They will have a powerful positive influence on their culture comparable to the effect salt has on its environment.

3) They will provide moral and spiritual light in a dark world.

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”

Jesus says to these people “You are the salt of the earth.” Notice carefully that this is an “indicative” rather than an “imperative” statement. Jesus does not say, “Be salt!” or “You must be salt,” or “You should be salt,” or “It would be nice for you to be salt.” No, if you are the “blessed” ones mentioned in verses 3-10, if you are truly my disciples, then by that very definition you are the salt of the earth.

In other words, you and I, if we truly claim to be followers of Jesus, cannot excuse ourselves from being who we by definition are. We cannot say, “Thanks, but no thanks.” We cannot say that we don’t mind to be a follower of Jesus but that we refuse to be salt.  You are either a follower of Jesus or you are not a follower. And if you are a follower of Jesus, then salt is what you are, whether you asked for it or not, whether you like it or not. Either you are salt or you are an insult!

Someone has suggested there are 14,000 known uses for salt. 

Salt is necessary to sustain life and since i.t was rather rare in the ancient world, it was a valuable commodity. Wars were fought over it and workers often received their wages in salt.

But those who were there that day and heard this teaching of Jesus readily connected with the most common uses of salt in their world:

1) Salt purified

2) Salt provided flavor

3) Salt preserved.

Are you worth your salt as a Christian?

As a Christian are you salting the earth or insulting your faith?

Three practical applications:

YOUR IMPACT DEPENDS ON YOUR CONTACT - “You are the salt of the earth;”

People have a desire for salt because they know it is useful and necessary. When they come in contact with it they are not disappointed and their needs are met.

When people come in contact with God's people God's people must make sure they are in contact with God.

   

Who are you in contact with?

How is your impact?

Are you worth your salt?

Are you salt or are you an insult?

YOUR TASTE DEPENDS ON YOUR TRUST – “but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?”

French Fries are good – but they’re better with salt

Fresh Sliced Tomatoes are good – but they’re better with salt

Corn on the Cob is really good – but its better with salt

Hard boiled eggs are much better with salt.

Applesauce cake is really good – but you can’t make it without salt.

In our world, since we have refrigeration and we have plenty of other antiseptics, the main value of salt is as a flavor enhancer. Salt in combination with our favorite foods adds to our pleasure and enjoyment of food.

So, where does salt get its flavor?

The short answer is – GOD!

Did you know that salt is a miracle?  It’s composed of two poisons:  chloride and sodium.  If you ingest either by itself, you’ll die.  But put them together and you have common, ordinary salt, and that which used to bring death somehow comes together to bring life, and that’s a miracle!

So it is with the Christian, poisoned by sin, with death looming in the shadows, we put our trust in the grace of God expressed by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Trusting Jesus removes the poison and replaces it with His life-giving presence.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”

The flavor you and I have to make this world a better place is HIM! We are to trust Him in such a way that when they taste us they taste Him!

Just as salt maintains its flavor through the chemical balance God created it to have, we – His spiritual salt – maintain our flavor by trusting Him.

The point Jesus is making here is this – if you don't flavor the world who will? 

And if you lose your flavor where will you find it?

And if you aren't trusting God you have no good flavor.

When people taste your life what flavor do they get?

They'd better taste Him! If they don't they may lose their appetite for God.

Your taste is only as good as your trust.

YOUR INFLUENCE DEPENDS ON YOUR INTIMACY – “It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”

The main point of this teaching on the "salt of the earth" is you have an influence and it will either be tasteful or tasteless. Your influence will either create an appetite in God for others or it will spoil their appetite.

So how do I develop the proper influence?

Develop an intimate relationship with God?

How do I do that?

Follow the Beatitudes!

You ARE the salt of the Earth!

Will you be worth your salt?

Will you be salt or an insult to your faith?

Your impact depend on your contact with God as you interact with others.

Your taste will depend on your trust. 

Your influence will depend on your intimacy.

August 22, 2014

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men." Matthew 5:13

If someone where to call you salt, you may consider that an insult.

That's because salt isn't worth much these days. You could run to your local store and grab a box of salt for less than two bucks.

But when Jesus refers to His disciples as "the salt of the earth" they regarded it a great compliment. Salt was a very valuable commodity in those days. 

Wars were fought over salt. People were paid in salt. If they didn't do an effective job they were judged as not being "worth their salt".

Those hearing Jesus refer to the righteous as salt of the earth they understand precisely what He meant.

Salt had three primary and very valuable functions in those days.

First, as in our day, salt provided flavor to their food and enhanced their meals.

French fries are good, but they are better with salt.

Fresh sliced tomatoes are good, but they are even better with salt.

In the same way, Jesus calls those made righteous by faith to flavor their world with His grace, and truth and justice.

Your home should be a more pleasant place because you live there.

Your neighborhood should be more appealing because you live in it.

Your workplace should have a better environment because you work there.

The gym you belong to or your softball team or your bowling team should be more positive because you are a member.

When Jesus says you are salt, He means you should put a good taste in people's mouth for faith because of your influence!

So, are you salt or are you an insult to righteousness?

Second, then as now, salt purified. It was considered a pure and stable element that would cause chemical reactions which could sanitize and decontaminate.

In ancient days salt was used for cleaning and purifying clothing, homes, and wounds.

Likewise, people made righteous by faith should have a spiritual and moral purity that has a cleansing effect where they live, where they play, where they work and where they worship.

The influence of their righteousness should make others want to be better and convict others who don't.

So, how about it? Do you have a healthy, healing, purifying effect on your environment? Are you salt or are an insult?

Third, more so then than now, salt preserved. Back when there was no refrigeration, meat would quickly begin to deteriorate but rubbing it with salt stopped the rot and refreshed the meat. Salted meat could stay safely edible for long periods of time. What a blessing that was!

Since some of the offerings in the temple involved the flesh of animals, salt was rubbed on them to keep them from spoiling and stinking during the ritual.

If you didn't have your Frigidaire or your GE refrigerator you would value salt much more than you do!

Jesus calls His righteous ones to have preserve all that is good decent and holy in their culture. By their witness and by their influence their home, their neighborhood, their place of work and their place of worship should be a positive alternative in contrast to the rest of their community.

So I ask you, are you salt or an insult?

August 21, 2014

Here is what Jesus has established through His teaching of the Beatitudes:

"If you recognize your moral depravity and it breaks your heart and brings you to submitting to God's salvation you are blessed! If you crave to be filled with His righteousness you are blessed! If you extend mercy to those who mistreat you and if you become pure in heart and a peacemaker you will be blessed! You will also come under persecution, rejection and slander when you have the blessing of God upon your life."

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men." Matthew 5:13

So, what's happening here is Jesus wants to know how you intend to respond to the threat of persecution. Will you regard yourself as helpless or will you be hopeful? 

He calls you to influence your world in positive powerful ways like salt impacts the world, adding flavor, purifying, preserving, and healing where it is sprinkled.

When faced with His own impending persecution, Jesus prayed this prayer for you:

"I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world." John 17:14-18

The value of salt is only as good as the flavor it adds as it interacts with food. Salt needs to be on the food not of the food. If the salt takes on the flavor of the food it is worthless. But if it adds flavor or enhances the flavor of that food it becomes desirable and valued.

Paul in writing to persecuted Christians in Rome, encourages them to respond to their persecutors with kindness in order to overwhelm the evil being visited upon them.

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21

Salt influences its environment it isn't influenced by it. Salt positively flavors, purifies and preserves where it is sprinkled.

So, taken in full context, those who live the Kingdom life will be persecuted. But because God's character is active in their lives when they are persecuted they become even more valuable, like salt.

If you are a follower of Christ your life will either be salt or it will be an insult.

Which will you choose today?