Welcome to Saturday and a little something from the Word of God. I am enjoying a large mug of Door County Hazelnut Crème Coffee as I write this morning.
Matthew 5:13-16New International Version (NIV)
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
I was awake a lot earlier this morning and started cooking some chicken for Rene's mother. Grandma is going to be ninety this month and once a week I make a meal or two for her and Rene delivers them when she goes for a visit and assists with some chores. I can smell them simmering right now. They were lightly touched with smoked sea salt before cooking slowly in a little olive oil. It did not take very much of the heavily smoked salt to add flavor. It wasn't much work at all.
In Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus reminds us why we are here and to protect ourselves from becoming unusable to Him in His work.
We need to guard ourselves from the sin that so easily ensnares us. When we perform in such a way that our reputation becomes tainted, it is harder for people to see Jesus in us or in the kind acts of love we are to do. We lose our credibility before men and that testimony is hard to wash away. Our reputation is to be protected and cherished. It's not impossible to put the shine back on a bad reputation but it is very difficult to do. Some people will only remember you for the bad things and never will see you again as anything else. In those instances they cannot see the light of Jesus in you.
So be careful, treat your reputation as a precious spice and protect it. Pray for guidance in your decisions. Perform a priority check daily. Give an account of your life to someone weekly.
You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Is your lamp lit?
Marty
No comments:
Post a Comment