The following is a portion of "Salty", a Bible Study I wrote and will be teaching this summer at Parkway Fellowship in Katy, TX. Everyone is welcome even if you live no where near Katy, TX. I will gladly find a way to include you somehow. I believe Jesus is patiently waiting for His people to live salty lives. And as we get a little saltier, the world gets a little thirstier for Him.
Matthew 5:1-13
How do we
know we are supposed to be salty? Jesus
tells us so. It is the Sermon on the
Mount where we hear it quoted often. He
begins this sermon telling the crowd who is blessed: the poor in spirit…those who mourn…the meek
…those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
As He opens His sermon, He is turning everything upside down. He is saying radical things. He is changing the lives of a crowd on a
mountainside. They hear for the first
time who is blessed by God, and it is totally different from what they
know. Jesus is shaking things up. He is revealing His character to those who
follow Him. And as the Carpenter King
looks out at the crowd He tells them who THEY ARE,
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt (you) loses its saltiness,
how can it (you) be made salty again? It
(you are) is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled
by men.” Matthew 5:13
Salt. It is used to preserve and to flavor. It has purpose. Salt keeps meat from rotting and puts the yum
in tortilla chips. Salt is used
sparingly in most recipes…a dash or half a teaspoon…but leave it out, and the
recipe is just bland. Salt is
important. Jesus called us salt. He
called us something so tiny, but with such big taste. He gives a warning too. Reminding us that salt that loses its
saltiness is pointless. I have sat with
this for awhile now, and I have wondered and read about whether or not salt can
actually “lose” its saltiness. It cannot
. The only way I believe salt can “lose”
its salty purpose to preserve or flavor is simply to not be used. Fail to use salt and it has no purpose. It is as good as dust. And so are we.
When Jesus
tells us in Matthew 5:13 that we are the salt of the earth, it is a call to
purpose. Kingdom purpose. When He looks out over the crowd before
launching into an amazing sermon, He tells them (and us), believe it or not, my
people have purpose. You have things to
do, and when you don’t do them you are losing your saltiness. You are salt sitting on a shelf.
Do you feel like you
are losing your saltiness? Have you sat
on a shelf too long?
What reason do you give
for not jumping off that shelf?
Don’t be
afraid today to get a little salty. Use
a little bit of yourself for Jesus today.
Just one little teaspoon if you’re a first timer. He knows if you have been sitting on a shelf
for awhile. He knows if you’re a little
scared. He knows if you have no idea
what you are doing, but trust me, there are crazy shouts of joy in heaven as
you get a little saltier.
Email if you are intersted in being part of this Bible Study and do not live in Katy, TX:pruninghooks@gmail.com
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