Has your salt been trampled on?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

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.
(Matthew 5:13 (NIV))

What do you do with things when they get worn out and ineffective?

We live in a world where things degenerate. Do you still have the same shoes that you did two years ago? If you do, are they still in the same shape they were when you first got them? If you have worn them at all, then I can safely say that they are not in that same shape. This world has a habit of wearing things down. Even our bodies are not immune to the effects of this world.

The sad thing is that too many people allow the world to have the same impact on their faith as it does on all other things in this life. We need to be careful to not let the temptations of this world distract us. We don’t need to lose sight of the power that is in the name of Jesus! That power is enough to sustain us for all eternity, but if we don’t keep our eyes on Jesus, we lose sight of that power and then we lose that power.

Salt has many uses. Most people today only think of salt as a seasoning for food, but it has far greater capabilities. For centuries, salt was used to preserve meat and fish. It would be packed around the meat or fish and it would draw out the moisture. It would draw out the very thing that, if left, would have caused things to deteriorate. This left the meat or fish in a state where it would provide life giving nourishment to those who would eat it. If we are the salt of the earth, it is our job to draw out the very thing that brings death to the world. It is our job to fill the world with the Gospel. If we lose sight of what we are called to do, then we are not fulfilling our purpose.

Don’t let your faith be trampled on so much that you lose sight of God’s purpose for you!

Has you salt been trampled on?

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Pray that you don’t lose your saltiness!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people– not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
(1 Corinthians 5:9-11 (NIV))

I know that I am going to ruffle some feathers with this verse.

It ruffled mine!

Did you catch that second to last sentence? What does it mean to you? Does it convict you? Think about that for a moment.

We,as the Body of Christ, are instructed to stay away from those who profess a faith in Jesus, yet do not live according to His teachings. We are not to associate with someone who claims Jesus as their savior yet is still sexually immoral – heterosexual and homosexual; someone who is greedy; or someone who worships idols, even worldly possessions; or many other sinful traits.

We are told to keep our eyes focused on Jesus. How can we focus on Jesus if we associate with those who would temp us to sin?

I know that this is a fine line that we walk, for we are to be the salt and light to the world. But, if we are in situations where we can fall into sin, we can lose our ability to be the salt.

“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 by men.
(Matthew 5:13 (NIV))

If we lose our ability to be the salt, what does that mean that we are good for in God’s plan?

I know that this almost sounds like the Pharisees and the Sadducees, but think about the way that lepers used to be cast away. This was done so that they would not infect others. What about the old saying that one bad apple spoils the barrel?

I realize that we are instructed to confront believers if they sin. This is done out of love and a hope that they will repent. What about those who have no desire to repent? Are they really members of the Body of Christ, or are they like the seed from the parable that did not fall on good soil?

Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop–a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.”
(Matthew 13:3-9 (NIV))

Pray that you don’t lose your saltiness!

Copyright 1998 – 2012 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery