Word@Work Luke239 - Luke 14:34-35
Published: Mon, 11/22/10
Word@Work from BeaconLight
SALT OF THE EARTH
Luke 14:34-35 "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure heap; it is thrown out. "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (NIV)
Salt is essential to human life; it is so important that we were designed with specific salt-receptors on our tongues. If we do not have enough salt we will seek out salty food, because without it we will die. Salt is also important to flavour our foods; but more significantly, in large quantities it will kill bacteria and so it has been used as a food preservative for thousands of years. Likewise it is an excellent disinfectant for wounds, and sanitizer of human and animal waste. Indeed, it is so useful that salted manure will safely put essential nutrients into soil to increase the crop yield.
The Dead Sea was Israel's prime source of salt. But after collecting the salt crystals, with other minerals, in the salt pans, it had to be transported for sale. If, during that process, the rains came and washed the salt out of the mineral load, it would be of no value for flavouring or preserving food, as a disinfectant or fertiliser. Once the salt had been washed out, there was no way to make it potent again; it was best used to fill holes in dirt-track roads.
Jesus used the example of salt to explain that discipleship was not a game. If the characteristics of the life of Christ, thought-through and willing self-sacrifice, were not rooted in His followers, those people would be useless in His service. Admiring Jesus, enjoying the company of His people, listening to His Word and professing to be a disciple are all meaningless without a determined commitment to obey Him in sacrificial service. Of course, some do not want to hear that message, but those who are serious about pleasing Jesus will accept the challenge; and stop the potency of their spiritual lives draining away. Christian commitment is the product of God's implanted loving power and our discipline, through thoughtful planning and sacrificial obedience. That will glorify Jesus and help purify the world. It is the essential challenge for 'modern' believers too: so take the challenge today!
Prayer: Holy Lord. I am amazed at the way in which Jesus sacrificed His life for me. As You have loved me so much, I am ashamed of my selfishness and my careless approach to discipleship. Please forgive me, and sharpen my conscience so that I will properly invest my life in Your service, so that I will be a potent agent of truth and life in the midst of a decaying unrighteous world. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages
Salt is essential to human life; it is so important that we were designed with specific salt-receptors on our tongues. If we do not have enough salt we will seek out salty food, because without it we will die. Salt is also important to flavour our foods; but more significantly, in large quantities it will kill bacteria and so it has been used as a food preservative for thousands of years. Likewise it is an excellent disinfectant for wounds, and sanitizer of human and animal waste. Indeed, it is so useful that salted manure will safely put essential nutrients into soil to increase the crop yield.
The Dead Sea was Israel's prime source of salt. But after collecting the salt crystals, with other minerals, in the salt pans, it had to be transported for sale. If, during that process, the rains came and washed the salt out of the mineral load, it would be of no value for flavouring or preserving food, as a disinfectant or fertiliser. Once the salt had been washed out, there was no way to make it potent again; it was best used to fill holes in dirt-track roads.
Jesus used the example of salt to explain that discipleship was not a game. If the characteristics of the life of Christ, thought-through and willing self-sacrifice, were not rooted in His followers, those people would be useless in His service. Admiring Jesus, enjoying the company of His people, listening to His Word and professing to be a disciple are all meaningless without a determined commitment to obey Him in sacrificial service. Of course, some do not want to hear that message, but those who are serious about pleasing Jesus will accept the challenge; and stop the potency of their spiritual lives draining away. Christian commitment is the product of God's implanted loving power and our discipline, through thoughtful planning and sacrificial obedience. That will glorify Jesus and help purify the world. It is the essential challenge for 'modern' believers too: so take the challenge today!
Prayer: Holy Lord. I am amazed at the way in which Jesus sacrificed His life for me. As You have loved me so much, I am ashamed of my selfishness and my careless approach to discipleship. Please forgive me, and sharpen my conscience so that I will properly invest my life in Your service, so that I will be a potent agent of truth and life in the midst of a decaying unrighteous world. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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