FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

Scripture Reference: Matthew 5:13

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”

II. The Properties of Salt – Continued

C. Salt Purifies: It is often used to purify or cleanse.

“And he said, ‘Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.’ So they brought it to him. Then he went out to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, ‘Thus says the LORD: “I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.” ‘ So the water remains healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke” (2 Kings 2:20-22).

▪ Salt water is used to cleanse sores and wounds of the flesh. We should have a cleansing effect on those around us; especially those who have been wounded emotionally and spiritual by the world around us. The church should have influence in the community to cause others to clean up some areas in their life.

D. Salt Promotes Thirst: It will create a thirst for water when it is consumed. We should create a thirst for Christ; after all, He is the “living water.” When He is foremost in our life, we can help others desire what we have. We must live right, talk right, walk right, dress right, etc. I desire in myself and pray that we will live a life that others would desire what we have.

E. Salt Produces Change: It has the ability to change things (food, melt ice, rust metal, etc.). Once salt has been added, it immediately begins to react. It is practically impossible to remove all of it. I truly hope there is enough salt in each of us to produce change. We can make a difference around us!

F. Salt Provides Flavor: Once added to a substance, salt enhances its flavor. It can take a bland and flavorless dish and uplift it to have a desirable and appealing taste. We are not to appeal to the appetites of this world, however, we do need to present a taste that is desirable for those who have never met or known Christ. We should live in such a way as to create an appetite for the things of God!

III. The Profit of Salt

But if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. Salt was very beneficial and a prized commodity in the ancient days. It was often used as payment for wages earned. That is where we get the expression “not worth their salt.”

▪ Up until recent times, with the innovation of freezers and canned goods, salt was necessary for survival. It is still used today to preserve some things, though not necessarily for survival. However, in a spiritual sense, salt is still very necessary for our survival. We need those salty Christians who are willing to make a difference for the Lord and thus impact the lives of others. Faithful Christians are of great value to the work of the Lord.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture Reference: Matthew 5:13

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”

This simple analogy reveals great truth regarding the Christian life and responsibility. Consider these truths:

I. The Presence of Salt

You are the salt of the earth. Christ reveals that the believer is the salt of the earth. This is not something that is open for debate or discussion; we are the salt of the earth. As long as there are Christians, there will be salt. Simply put and to the point.

▪ Salt is necessary to good health. There is salt (saline) in the blood running through our body. Our cells need salt to function properly. It is vital to human life. I realize we live in an age where salt is discouraged in the diet and many are told to cut it out completely. Regardless of the scientific opinions, a certain amount is definitely necessary for good health.

▪ Let’s look at this from a spiritual point of view. Just as salt is vital to human life, it is vital to spiritual life. We live in an age where salt is discouraged in the church. Some have removed it completely from their lives. They aren’t the least bit concerned about their influence. However, God desires our true worship, our complete surrender, and a desire on our part to make a difference. We are here to reach others for Christ. I have tried to raise my children (and also my grandchildren) to see some salt in my life. I want them to know that there is something special about serving God. If we never seem excited about the things of God, how do we expect anyone else to desire what we have?

II. The Properties of Salt

But if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? Salt has certain properties that are always present that cause it to react in specific ways with other elements. We know that:

Salt Preserves: It is often used to preserve meat from decay. It works as a preservative. The nation of Israel was God’s chosen people, but they lost their home to bondage. Thus, there was no salt, so they weren’t preserved.

▪ I believe with all of my heart that Christians in America have helped prevent the wrath of God from destroying our nation up to this time. We can definitely help preserve our families from the decay of this world.

“Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). We need to preserve our morals, the church, our homes, our schools, etc.

B. Salt Penetrates: It has the natural ability to penetrate whatever it touches. We have the ability to penetrate the sin and darkness of this world. We can gain some ground if we are the salt of the earth. I don’t want to take a back seat. We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us! (Romans 8:37).

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture References: Luke 18:1-8

Pray for the Church

Oh, how wonderful and how blessed is the church of the Lord Jesus Christ! Look back and contemplate the early days when the mighty power of God came upon her. Look at her as she prays open prison doors and captives freed. Look at her and how she responded when persecution starts. She goes down on her face and prays until the very place is shaken where the Lord’s children are assembled, and they are all filled with the Holy Spirit; and with great power He gave the apostles witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all, and five thousand in one service were brought into the Kingdom of God! (See Acts 4:4).

Oh, if we could only see the church of the Lord Jesus Christ once again on her face, confessing her sins, shaking loose from the world, with a passion for souls, searching her heart and praying until the power of God falls once again!

I believe that the time will come and God is going to cause that. I am continually praying, seeking the Lord and expectantly waiting for it. God can do it and He wants too. He wants to empower once again the saints of His Kingdom to do mighty things. The time is short and soon it appears He will be sending His Son to gather the Church, Christ’s Bride and we need His Holy Spirit power to be ready! Oh church, what a wonder God has created us for!

I read not long ago, the story of when John Wesley was standing in Aldersgate, in London, England, when the Holy Spirit came upon him, set his heart on fire, and sent him out to turn England upside-down for God. Many years later, an old black preacher went and stood right on that bronze tablet that marks the spot where Wesley stood, lifted his face toward Heaven, raised his hands up toward God while tears streamed down his face, and out of his heart cried, “Lord God, do it again! Do it again!”

That is the prayer that is continually on my heart. Lord God, do it again! Lord, cause Your people to desire You with that kind of burning passion once again! Cause Your people the hunger, the longing to spend time in communion with You!

Take heart, brothers and sisters, God will do it again when His people pray.

“Men always ought to pray and not lose heart.”

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture References: Luke 18:1-8

Pray for Our Homes

Now turn your thoughts to your home and where you live, and who you live with. How we need to pray for our homes! The devil is doing everything he can to destroy, especially, the American home. If he does, he has destroyed the foundation of Christianity, the bulwark of American liberty and American civilization. He has already practically destroyed the Lord’s day, turning it into a fun day, a commercial day, not to mention days we set aside as holy. The three great institutions upon which American liberty, religion and civilization were founded are the church, the Lord’s day, and the old-fashioned Christian home. If the devil can destroy those three, then he will have destroyed the foundation. And God said, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3).

So how much more we ought to pray that the enemy will not be able to destroy the family devotional time. Most homes don’t have time for the family to have devotions together anymore, the place where they can freely talk and discuss the Word of God and where they can pray together. When the devil gets us too busy to have family devotions and prayer, he has gone a long way toward destroying the foundation of Christianity. The spirituality of your church or any other church cannot rise any higher than the spirituality of your homes and the individuals within it.

We pray for the spiritual church. We pray for the power of the Spirit upon our churches. But it must start in the homes where we live seven days a week, twelve months a year, every year.

Oh, how my heart goes out to young boys and girls who have a thousand times the temptations today whereas I only had a few! The times have changed but spirituality shouldn’t. Jesus Christ is the same day in and day out, unchanging, (Hebrews 13:8), and since He is the head of the family and thus the church, change shouldn’t happen in our devotion to Him or toward one another.

I was raised in the Catholic church until just before my seventeenth birthday when I gave my heart to Jesus, but I had a step-mother who was faithful to take myself and my siblings to church, so I was given a taste of church. I had a matriarchal grandmother who loved the Lord and told me of my mother whom I never knew but who loved the Lord. My background until my seventeenth birthday wasn’t spiritual, but it was religious and when I met my wife-to-be, in High School, I gained a family that taught me about the Lord Jesus Christ. Many do not have even the background I had; they have never set foot in a church, and never had questions about God and Jesus. I was fortunate to meet the love of my life who came from a family who was spiritually devoted to the Lord and willing to share the Word of God and their insights.

Today, it seems, mothers and fathers have gotten too busy after the things of the world and, in the rush and hurry of everyday modern life and all the programs deemed necessary to grow successful families, yet they have lost what makes the family truly successful, and that is the time spent together in familial devotions and prayer.

With divorce rates so astoundingly high, abuse and neglect in the home, so many single parent homes, children living in foster care, with little to no love, it appears that we need to not just pray for our homes, but we need to lift up the homes and families of our neighbors and those in our communities. Again, the key is to pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.