Continuing Pastor Obie’s message, the second attribute of salt is that it preserves and protects. One of the other uses of salt in Jesus’ day was that it was a preservative. They did not have refrigeration or freezers back in that day, and so they used salt so that their food could last longer. Because of salt, it eliminated the dependency on seasonal foods and change society because it made certain foods tradable that would previously spoil during shipping and travel. Salt became an influential force because salted foods lasting longer and being able to survive the journey, trading routes were developed, thus influencing where populations were able to settle, shaping civilization. Good old salt changed the world.
Jesus references salt multiple times, and we get a better idea of what He is meaning about salt in Luke 14:34-35, “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Why would you use salt for the soil or the manure pile? Potassium Chloride, which is a metal halide composed of potassium and chloride. This is the type of salt found in the Dead Sea in Israel and was used to produce fertilizer. The people of that time would spread this salt over the mature and it would not allow the harmful elements to grow (preventing rotting and fermenting), while allowed the nutritional elements to grow, breakdown and develop the useful fertilize for crops. Likewise, if we are to be the salt of the earth, we need to prevent the harmful (bad) and promote growth and health (good) in our lives and in the lives around us. As salt, we preserve and protect.
Right now, our society is in decay and decline, morally and spiritually. It truly is the mission field, ripe for harvest. Salt preserves Creator God’s Word and the ways of God in society. Salt protects and cares for God-given life and all of Holy Scripture speaks of this preserving and protecting. Psalm 82:4 it says, “Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” Philippians 2:4 instructs us, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” James 1:27 tells us, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” The Christian is called by the Lord to be salt in this world and salt preserves and protects the things of God; preserves what is good and protects from what is evil (All wickedness - Moral evil is any deviation of a moral agent from the rules of conduct prescribed to him by God; or it is any violation of the plain principles of justice and rectitude).
The third attribute of salt that Pastor Obie presented is that it makes things taste better by seasoning and drawing out flavors subtly hidden in food. This is something that we are all familiar with about salt. When cooking, heat activates the seasoning of food. In our lives, how we prepare beforehand, before the heat is on, allows the seasoning favor starts to come out, when the heat is on.
What is drawn out of you when the heat and stresses of life turn on? Anger, impatience, fear, worry, doubt, ungratefulness or godliness? How you prepare in times of peace is what is drawn out in times of war. Prepare for trouble in times of peace, and when trouble comes knocking on your door, peace comes answering. So, how should a Christian prepare in times of peace? We need to immerse ourselves in the things of God. We need to read, study and meditate of the Scriptures in the Word of God. We need to know God’s character and attributes; His goodness, His kindness, His patience, His mercy, and His love, so that His character gets baked into us, that when the stresses of life heat up, the flavors of God seep out of us.
You are salt and salt is the secret to better taste. You draw the good out of the place that you go and the people that you meet and interact with. The people around you influence you, so we need top be around more “salt people” in our life, people that draw the good out of us. But, this works both ways. So, are you someone who draws the best out of someone else? Are you the person that sees and believes the good in someone and draws it out of them? Let me tell you why you are here. You are here to be salt seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of the earth. If you lose your godly saltiness, how will people taste godliness? Disciples of Christ, if they are true to their calling, make the earth a purer and more palatable place, when people are around you, do they taste the goodness of God through the way that you live, through the way that you act, through the way that you love, and through the way that you speak? Are you salt that draws out the God-flavors?
Colossians 4:6 tells us, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”
What is salty speech? Speech that is infused with the love of Christ and the Holy Spirit living within us as Believers. His presence in our lives should permeate all that we do and all that we say; how we act and how we react. And we should draw out the God-flavors wherever we are and with whoever we are with because you are the salt of the earth.
Let's continue Pastor Obie's timely message on being the salt of the earth in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
No comments:
Post a Comment