Matthew 5:13-16
"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."
First. let's look at being "the salt of the earth". Here Jesus is talking about salt in its uses with food. Salt is used to help bring out the flavor in food; and it was also used to preserve food, especially before the days of refrigeration.
As Christians, we are supposed to enhance the "flavor" of life. We are to make life better and more enjoyable for the people around us. Being salty in this sense means being swept up by the "Fruits of the Spirit" (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control), and we are to bring out these attributes in everyone that we come into contact with. When salt is used in cooking it affects the entire dish. When Christians are salty, they affect the entire world around them. Jesus wants us...He commands us to infuse the people around us with the Fruits of the Spirit. That is how we remain salty: by living a life that is loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled.
If we should ever lose our saltiness, that Fruit of the Spirit, what will become of us? At that point we wouldn't be good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on. We would be reduced to sidewalk salt or road salt. Road salt and sidewalk salt are corrosive and damage everything they come into contact with. Look at your car and your cement work after a winter of heavy salt use. It's the same for Christians when they lose their saltiness. They tend to become the most aggressive atheists and humanists you will ever meet. They have a terrible, corrosive effect on the world. So listen to Jesus and continue to be the salt of the earth.
What about being "the light of the world"? Have you ever thought about the power that light has over darkness? Did you ever think of light that way- as having power over darkness?
If you're not sure about that phrasing, think of this. How much light does it take to break total darkness? How much darkness does it take to snuff out a light?
This can be a difficult concept for us to grasp, because in our modern world we rarely(never) experience total darkness. Unless we tour a cave or shut ourselves in a closet, it is incredibly difficult to experience total darkness. There always seems to some light source somewhere. You can't even walk through your neighborhood at night in total darkness. With that being said, let's go back to the power of light over darkness.
How much does it take to lighten a room?
A match will make a difference.
A candle will help you avoid furniture.
A single light bulb will allow you to see everything in that room.
This is why Jesus calls every Christian to be the light of the world. You don't have to be the pastor of a megachurch, or a T.V. preacher to have an impact in this world for Jesus. All you have to do is share Jesus with whomever you come into contact with. We can all be a match.
All that is required to be a match is to live your life for Jesus: by living a life that is loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. Sound familiar? Well, living your life like that will get you noticed. It will give you opportunities to tell people about Jesus, and how you are able to live a life full of the Fruits of the Spirit. If you live like this in our dark, sin-cursed world, people will notice. It won't be everybody, but it will be some.
The next level of light is the candle. This is the person who actively evangelizes throughout their daily life. This is the person who is always looking for ways to talk about Jesus in any conversation. This person will even start conversations with strangers for the sole purpose of telling them about Jesus. This kind of light shining is certainly more natural to certain personality types, but it can be learned and developed by anyone. It only takes two things to become a candle, or to become an even brighter candle: Diligently study God's Word daily and Practice.
If you will discipline yourself to do those two things everyday you can fuel your fire to become any size candle that you want to be.
The third level of light is the light bulb. These are the people who train and teach others to shine brighter. This includes pastors, but it isn't limited to those who are blessed enough to be in full-time public ministry. This includes anyone who: leads a Bible study, coordinates a men's or women's study group, disciples their children, teaches Bible classes, trains people for evangelism, recruits others to participate in ministry, etc.
The most important thing to remember is that no matter what level of light you are, you will never realize how great your impact on this world is just by letting your light shine. You are impacting people everyday in ways that you don't even understand, because you don't notice them or talk to them. Whether they realize it or not, they are affected by your light. That's why God puts them in your path every day. I encourage you to slow down and notice a few of them once in a while.
What about being "the light of the world"? Have you ever thought about the power that light has over darkness? Did you ever think of light that way- as having power over darkness?
If you're not sure about that phrasing, think of this. How much light does it take to break total darkness? How much darkness does it take to snuff out a light?
This can be a difficult concept for us to grasp, because in our modern world we rarely(never) experience total darkness. Unless we tour a cave or shut ourselves in a closet, it is incredibly difficult to experience total darkness. There always seems to some light source somewhere. You can't even walk through your neighborhood at night in total darkness. With that being said, let's go back to the power of light over darkness.
How much does it take to lighten a room?
A match will make a difference.
A candle will help you avoid furniture.
A single light bulb will allow you to see everything in that room.
This is why Jesus calls every Christian to be the light of the world. You don't have to be the pastor of a megachurch, or a T.V. preacher to have an impact in this world for Jesus. All you have to do is share Jesus with whomever you come into contact with. We can all be a match.
All that is required to be a match is to live your life for Jesus: by living a life that is loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. Sound familiar? Well, living your life like that will get you noticed. It will give you opportunities to tell people about Jesus, and how you are able to live a life full of the Fruits of the Spirit. If you live like this in our dark, sin-cursed world, people will notice. It won't be everybody, but it will be some.
The next level of light is the candle. This is the person who actively evangelizes throughout their daily life. This is the person who is always looking for ways to talk about Jesus in any conversation. This person will even start conversations with strangers for the sole purpose of telling them about Jesus. This kind of light shining is certainly more natural to certain personality types, but it can be learned and developed by anyone. It only takes two things to become a candle, or to become an even brighter candle: Diligently study God's Word daily and Practice.
If you will discipline yourself to do those two things everyday you can fuel your fire to become any size candle that you want to be.
The third level of light is the light bulb. These are the people who train and teach others to shine brighter. This includes pastors, but it isn't limited to those who are blessed enough to be in full-time public ministry. This includes anyone who: leads a Bible study, coordinates a men's or women's study group, disciples their children, teaches Bible classes, trains people for evangelism, recruits others to participate in ministry, etc.
The most important thing to remember is that no matter what level of light you are, you will never realize how great your impact on this world is just by letting your light shine. You are impacting people everyday in ways that you don't even understand, because you don't notice them or talk to them. Whether they realize it or not, they are affected by your light. That's why God puts them in your path every day. I encourage you to slow down and notice a few of them once in a while.
1 Peter 2:9-12
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
Jason Fredrick
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