salt & light

Salt is used to preserve meats, such as fish in Bible times. When salt lost its worthiness by losing its flavor, it was just dumped on the ground (like Lot's wife, a pillar of salt). When things are not 'preserved', they spoil and become rotten or corrupted.

Jesus is the Light of the World and if we walk in His footsteps and strive to be like Him, we'll reflect that light to a dying world.

It is our 'job' as Christians, to share the news of the gospel to the world to preserve them from corruption. Our light should be like a 'city set on a hill' so that all can follow that light within us to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

I think this is another command to 'go and tell' others what Jesus has done for us.

 

Salt is not just a preservative. It is also an irritant. We ought to be "irritating" to those whose call sin good and holiness evil. This "irritation" ought to be such that the conscience of those around us is pricked when compared to our holiness.

Salt is also used to soften water. Does your demeanor soften the hardness of the world around you?

Just one small example would be, do you speak up when foul language is used around you? Do you speak up when some person next to you in the check out lane uses Christ's name in a profane way? Whenever I do this, the person I am speaking to often appologizes.

What about our "light"? Does it shine in a way that EXPOSES the evil around us? Light dispels darkness, true. But it is also a REVEALER of the hidden things. Does your light reveal the evil in the world around you?

Light is also an attractant. Have you ever watched how many different bugs are attracted to your porch light? They may be very different from one another, yet they ALL have one thing in common. They are COMPELLED to seek out the light. Is YOUR light compelling?

These are a few of my thoughts about this.

In HIS service;
Jim

 

Good comments!

I also think of salt as having a bite to it, or a sting, so I think in terms of the truth having a sting to it. Jesus is the light of the world, but he is also the truth, and the truth stings because we are sinners.

So truth is double-edged -- the light of compassion and love with the bite of truth about our sinfulness and need for a Savior.

 

Salt is also used to keep people from falling on ice. We should strive to keep people around us from falling by being the example we should be and standing firm on God's Word.

Salt is used to kill slugs. I'm thinking...I'm thinking...

 

I really liked what someone said, 'is our light compelling?' Thats something good to chew on.

I wonder about that when I see people talk about so many things being ungodly like ladies wearing pants to church, certain music, a political party, so many things. All that does is repel not compel. It's ridiculous really. It looks to me that satan uses the divide and conquer technique constantly and we all fall for it.

Anyone notice how the cults are looking SO good to the unbelieving world?! They are doing things all the time that Christian's should be doing, good works, evangelism etc. They are doing things in the name of religion but we should be doing them in the Love of Christ!

Matt. 5:13-16
13“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

14“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15“nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

 

A word or too about the apparent "good" the cults are doing.
Whose perception of good are you speaking of?

Most worldlings look upon the cults as weird.

And MOST worldlings know the difference between them and us.

Who hasn't heard of a JW parent refusing decent med. care for their child? And what worldling hasn't been disgusted by that parent's actions?

Who hasn't heard of the polygamists in No. AZ and So. UT? And what worldling hasn't been disgusted by some old man with three wives taking a young teen as #4?

I think most who care to see the differences between a cult and us will see it.

You are right about one point in your comments. Their door knocking evangelism efforts certainly should shame us.

In HIS service;
Jim

 

Rachel said:

I agree! A woman who was teaching children in S/S at a previous church before we moved here gave me 2 tapes to listen to and said the pastor had 'liked them'. Well I put them in and began to clean and for a few minutes, all sounded good and then little bits of mistruths started jumping out at me. By time 15 or 20 mins. had passed, it was full new age garbage. Had I not been grounded in scripture, I would have thought 'oh what a loving god'!

Here's a few of her quotes;

Marianne Williamson

God exists in eternity. The only point where eternity meets time is in the present. The present is the only time there is.

God is definitely out of the closet

Joy, has no cost.

Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we learned here.

Miracles occur naturally as expressions of love. The real miracle is the love that inspires them. In this sense everything that comes from love is a miracle.

Some men know that a light touch of the tongue, running from a woman's toes to her ears, lingering in the softest way possible in various places in between, given often enough and sincerely enough, would add immeasurably to world peace.

Spiritual progress is like detoxification. Things have to come up in order to be released. Once we have asked to be healed, then our unhealed places are forced to the surface.

We are not held back by the love we didn't receive in the past, but by the love we're not extending in the present.

On her tape, she says 'Hitler didn't sin. He just had a bad idea'.

Cults add just enough sugar and spice and Bible to their lies to entice those looking for peace, love and something more.

Amen and well said Rachel!

Diane

 

Ive never read any of that stuff on the tape you mentioned, but I have to agree that the quote on spiritual progress (that is prob taken out of context) is true for me. To rid oneself of bad habits or thinking, is for me, a lot like that. There are plenty of things about me that God wants changed, and it is hard to deal with at first, as I am human and oh so resistant to some things. But once they are out in the open, I can deal with them like I should. Who has not had this?