Blog

Mar 24, 2023 18:30pm
Be the Salt
11340 Views

I was cleaning out some drawers and I noticed a small container of hand sanitizer. I saw a date printed on it, and I was a little shocked.

Hand sanitizer has an expiration date?

How strange is that?!

But it’s true. Over a period of time, if not used, it will lose its effectiveness. Just like many of the medications you might have in the cabinet, or even salt.

Salt? Yes, salt. Those little beans or grains of rice your grandma puts in the shaker aren’t there just because she’s crazy… They are there to keep the salt from drawing moisture and getting wet. If salt becomes wet and then dries, it loses its effectiveness to salt.

Isn’t that odd? Its name is literally its purpose, so what good would it be at that point? It would have no use!

“For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.” (Mark 9:49-50)

Jesus continues His teaching to His disciples and followers. Here, He uses salt as the subject of His lesson. Salt was widely known for its uses and importance in sacrifices, flavoring and preserving meats. He described the character of a Christian to be useful.

A Christian’s purpose is literally in the name; be as Christ was. Jesus not only loved the Father and people in His heart, but He did so in His words and actions. And He served God, not begrudgingly, but with a wholesome attitude and true desire.

Just like salt that loses its saltiness, a Christian that doesn’t fulfill his or her purpose is not useful.

Let’s be honest. There are many people who ask the Lord to save them and then, well, that’s as far as it goes. They recognize God as the Creator, but they don’t ever really humble themselves under His authority.

I know because I was one of them. And I was useless.

Every person who calls themselves a Christian and lays claim to the inheritance of their Father in Heaven should be prepared for the work the Father has for him/her here on earth.

Maybe this lesson is a wakeup call for you. You’ve been living your life the way you want. Church is good, but it’s not your thing. Prayers are few and far between. Reading your Bible feels more like a chore, if it’s ever done at all. But that’s okay, right? Because you are good, you’ve asked the Lord to save you, and you’re going to Heaven.

How can I be so blunt? Because I lived that. And it’s worthless. My heart hurts knowing how much time I wasted living for myself.

Let me encourage you this morning! Today is the day to change that! You have a purpose in God’s plan! God desires to have a deeper relationship with you! He loves you and wants to use you to further His kingdom! In fact, at the moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit came to live within you! He is always with you! And He gifted you in a special way to be used for God’s glory!

Be the salt of the earth! Be His! Share His name with the world! Learn what it means to follow Him and teach others to do the same!

Be a Christian!

Copyright © 2022 by Yalanda Merrell Lifeword.org. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from Lifeword.org