We Are The Salt Of The Earth

I had the privilege of being able to preach a lot this week publicly, and one of the places I spoke was particularly unique. It was a church service at a campground on the shore of a lake. The sun was shining, there was a light breeze coming off the water, and I suddenly realized that I was preaching in the same setting that Jesus often did. He probably did most of his teaching outdoors and much of it on the shores of a lake! And when people heard the sound of his voice they were drawn to Him….He preached with authority, and His message was something revolutionary that people had never heard before. He was a physical picture of His heavenly Father. In fact, in John 14:9 he said, anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! 

 

Jesus was not of this world - He was holy, so everything he touched was made holy. The atmosphere around him was holy. Holiness is who God is…it is wholeness and perfection, righteousness, peace, and joy. Holiness is the state of being pure in heart as the Lord is. No evil can stand against holiness, so when it comes, the power of darkness has to go. When holiness appears on the earth, it always brings transformation.

 

Jesus was holy because of his relationship with His heavenly father, and  now we as believers have the same connection and relationship with the father that Jesus did. Jesus said we are no longer called slaves. We have been made sons and daughters of God through Him.

 

Galatians 4:7 says,So that you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, also an heir through God.”

 

We have the same spirit of holiness dwelling in our mortal bodies that dwells in Christ. That is not to say that we are God as He is, but through him, we get to share his nature. Hebrews 12:10 says, “But he, meaning God, disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.”

 

 

If we allow it to, that holiness will gradually transform us from the inside out. The kingdom of God will spread in us…as Jesus said…like yeast in a loaf of bread. God’s spirit in us will start to change everything in us that doesn’t look like him. All we have to do is be willing and say, “Yes Lord, let your kingdom come in me!”

As His kingdom comes more and more inside our hearts, minds, and bodies, it will also begin to affect the atmosphere around us. The Lord will bring his kingdom to the world through our lowly bodies! Just think - God wants to change the world through you and me!

 

Jesus said in Matthew 5:13, ”You are the salt of the earth.” What does salt do to our food? It changes its flavor. It only takes a little salt to transform any food and bring it to life!  Jesus is saying that, just like salt,  if the spirit of God lives in us, He can use little people like us to bring transformation and life! 

 

We are called to be salt in the world…a little taste of heaven to those around us!  But being salty or full of the holy spirit, is a choice. We can choose to not be the salt of the earth by living for ourselves and not for the Lord. To bring change and transformation we must be willing to be transformed. We need to be made salty again! We need to get rid of anything in us that doesn’t look like Christ, and that’s not easy. But the more we allow the Lord to make us holy, the more fruitful our lives become on every level. 

 

In my own life, I know that I need to be made more salty every day…I want to be so full of Jesus that whoever I am around would be able to taste His love through me. I want to live a life that is fruitful and not just spent on my own desires and ambitions. I want to carry more and more of His holiness in me!  Let’s ask God to give us willing hearts to be changed so that He can use us to bring change. 

 

Father, forgive us for not always living as the salt of the earth. Forgive us when we live for ourselves or conform to the world. Show us how to be made salty again. Change our hearts so that you can use us to change the world! In Jesus’ name amen.

 

 

 

http://www.mixcloud.com/UCBIreland/jean-watson-we-are-the-salt-of-the-earth-daily-radio-programme-on-ucb-ireland/

 

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