Good Morning Friends,
Racism, like community health, is everyone’s responsibility, but Christians have an especially important role to play. As Christians we are called to the highest standard of conduct. We are also called to be used by God to bless people for a Holy purpose. Sometimes it is an unexpected and immediate blessing and at other times manifested in a long-awaited harvest of dreams realized. The beauty is that God will use people from all walks of life to plant blessings. What comes of these efforts is in part a matter of trust and faith but also a matter of our own authenticity.
Some efforts have unintended toxic consequences and different levels of effectiveness. In some we are just a catalyst, which bring us to today’s self-evaluation about seeing God from the inside out. The world is watching what Christians say and do. In our role, as Christians we are to help people around us so that they do not slip and fall. We are to be encouragers of healthy behavior and justice. With great love and kindness, we are to help people recognize their mistakes and seek God’s I.V. solution for our dehydrated souls. We are to let others see Christ in us regardless of time and place. The hope is to be a positive influence on others. So, Will Being Salt And Light Be Enough For Us To Face A Pandimensional Existential Crisis?
Scripture: But after a while the wadi dried up, because there was no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink.” As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.” She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah
1 Kings 17:7-16 (NRSV)
“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:13-16 (NRSV)
Message: Good character builds our faith identity and commitment to trust in God and can become a wonderful influence as well on others. Charity and generosity for good causes is part of this but just giving is not enough for we are very flawed creatures. Most likely the better way is removing the cultural barriers for those who receive charity and liberating them from that which holds them back from enjoying life. The unfortunately the best path to achieving this is typically not agreed upon. So, dream on. But perhaps that is why the best of gifts we can give is to let our light shine and be of pure motives so that we might be a divine encouragement on the world in which we live and let God’s timing tip the scale of justice. And yes, that can rock our sense of reality and give people a crisis of the soul. Still, we are to be a seasoning and preservative when brought into contact with others. We are to illuminate the truth. Our charity is to bear fruit. And our light is to be sustainable so that others may triumph over a culture of ignorance and death and injustice. We are to be a message of hope that with God we will always have enough. We are to share in the sustainable love of God. Therefore, we are to rejoice in all things. For as Jesus taught, being the “salt” means there must be a lot of unsavory challenges in the world. Being the “light” means there must be plenty darkness around us. We are not supposed to be like the rest of the world. We are supposed to be different. In fact, our difference, how our neural network of spiritual support is formed can make us unique and effective in moving the needle. We are supposed to be salty and sometimes that means being a little irritating! The way we live our lives is supposed to bring a new taste, a new flavor to the table. And sometimes it needs to have a little bite. We are supposed to be living in such a way that we stand out in stark contrast to those around us. Then notice what Jesus says. If we lose our difference and distinction, if we look and act just like the world, the world will throw out our truth and walk right over us. If we minimize our differentiation, we will be marginalized. Our difference is what makes us different! If we are like everybody else, then we cannot lead. We are to be salt and light, empowered and purposeful. Friends, God is good, even when times seem bad. We have been hardwired to accept the challenge of life that lights up our life as neurons fire fueled by the salt as electrolytes that help us to breathe and move and have our very being in a thought…a word that becomes flesh and blood flowing in the life of our families and communities as a collective identity in the Trinitarian experience of God.
And So, to survive in the world we need more grace to glorify God in good times and bad. The meat of the message is that God is with us when we share the hope of the Gospel in a way that makes us healthier with greater spiritual as well as physical reserves. Here we discover the way God’s Kingdom is being established here on earth through families adopted into a heavenly relationship that is unique. By being salt and light in relationships we join in the Way of Christ. And the beauty is that Jesus understands us and knows that the Way must come from the inside out …not the outside in. Jesus understands that it is about influence, but more importantly the type of influence we are to exert. Jesus understood the difference between self-centered influence and an unselfish way that refuses to acquiesce to the status quo. Jesus makes a clear distinction between the two as clear as heaven and earth. The world, he says, is like rotting meat, but we are to be the world’s salt to preserve it. The world is like a dark night, but we are to be the world’s light for all to see. This is the fundamental difference between the Christian and the non-Christian. But let me be clear about this, being blessed by The Way is one thing and being salt and light is another. We are to live in this power for the Glory of God. That is why the Holy Spirit gives Christians the power to influence the world…Now there is more God wants us to know. All God’s truth is powerful. This is the power of unity. It is the strength of commitment of even a minority to a common cause and vision. This is the Way of a small band of brothers. This is the Way of a family of God. This is the Way of Salt and Light, Love and Truth. For we are to be a recipe for healthy living. We are to share the cup of salvation in community. We are to feast on the Word of God. We are to have a ministry service topped off with a healthy helping of generous giving in service to others. We are to spice up the world in a way that brings justice and peace to glorify God. We are to find the perfect balance between morality and our own mortality…between freedom and responsibility… between isolation and connectedness…between meaning and meaninglessness in a paradigm that is Pandimensional.
Pray we find hope in being salt and light. Pray we quit trying to fit into the world but instead in the Spirit transform it. Pray are part of the recipe for community health. Pray we believe in the provision of God though Christ coming alive in a purposeful identity in us. Pray we believe in the power of giving and are thankful for gifts received and shared. Pray we realize that we all are salt but that we must determine what kind of salt we are going to be. Pray we realize that we are light, but that our brightness is determined by our authenticity and purity. Pray we not be hypocrites. Pray we be reliable, faithful, trustworthy salt and light. Pray we be bona fide ambassadors for Christ and His Kingdom. Pray we shine the light of love in us to the glory of God. Pray we experience the light shining through us in the darkness, and truly believe that the darkness cannot and will not overcome it. Pray we are a light in the darkness as well as a witness in the noonday sun. Pray God showcase Himself through us in all our ways, so that we may be the light which shines through the darkness of this world. Pray we are guided by the light and preserved by the salt for the purpose God has set for us. Pray we bring God our offerings of salt and light and feast on the life of abundance in a family and community of love. Pray we begin to see history through the eyes of grace. Pray we seek and find meaning in Jesus.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 