Matthew 5:13-16
“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
December 21st, 2006 at 9:43 am
I don’t ever want to loose my taste of godliness. Sometimes, if I feel that i’ve let God down or let myself down, I feel my physically feel my ’saltiness’ getting weaker. I’m sooooo good at leaking (and i’m only 36 so it’s not my prostate!!). I keep having to come back to God and ask,repentantly, for some more ’salt’. This passage today has just given me some.
I just need to get out there today and let others see, and remind myself, what an amazing gift this ’salt’ is.
I serve an amazing God….even so I still, at times, want to retreat under a bucket…trouble is God doesn’t give me that option!
December 21st, 2006 at 9:55 am
“Keep open house”, “be generous with your lives”
This is becoming more and more of a theme and growth area for us.
In theory Lou and I love the idea of an open home and loads of people around the place. We genuinely want it.
Tempramentally though, we’re fairly easily stressed introverts who need space and routine. The two don’t easily go together.
Those of you who are laid-back, chilled-out, go-with-the-flow types are very ‘lucky’ and have a lot to teach the rest of us.
As for us, we’re learning to accept who we are and our own needs, but also to embrace the desire for community that is costly and sacrificial, often in trivial but very real ways (eg our four yr old goes hyper when there are “guests” around and then when the adrenelin slumps aftert they’re gone, he… erm… grows horns!)
So for those who have “joined in” with our lives this year, Thank you! we love you and we loved it - even when we hated it at the same time. I think we’re growing in it, so keep on discipling us.
And maybe through it all we’ll become a bit brighter and saltier.
December 21st, 2006 at 12:20 pm
Being salty and generous with your lives definitely takes a lot of work. Somedays being salty and generous seems so easy but a lot of the time I want to be bland and selfish. Have been so encouraged though these last 4 weeks…been on Obs & Gynae hospital placement with an Indian Dr who was very rude, prone to tantrums and a general pain in the you know where. However after meeting for a coffee with Lou and pouring out my troubles, we decided I should start to pray for him, and pray I did, prayed that God would use me to bring some light into his life. and guess what….it worked! Our relationship was totally changed by God using me to show him some generosity and just a hint of saltiness.
So lets go out and be salty, generous (in spirit - I’m short on £) and full of light and see what He does….