Salt of The Earth

Have you ever had bread without salt? I’m not talking about some sweet bread here. Just imagine you go to your favorite bakery and but some freshly baked bread---that you’ve enjoyed for years---only to realize after you’ve had your first bite that it has no salt at all.  I don’t know if this has happened to you already but I can tell you that based on my personal experience it doesn’t taste good.

You may be asking yourself how does this relate to you well come along for the ride and I really do hope that this “bread-talk” will open your “spiritual appetite” for the word of God and that the Lord Himself will minister to your heart as you read.

So when you’ve enjoyed bread baked with salt and after try some without you will realize that the salt-less bread is just not as good and tasty. Some might even go as far as saying that they cannot eat salt-free bread period, it’s just not good.

If you can relate to this example take a moment to picture yourself in that very scene, the look on your face and the taste in your mouth etc. I can see some people going “yuck!” And quite understandably so because one of the thing that gives bread that taste we enjoy so much is the salt that was mixed into the dough.

Now, let’s get a bit personal and answer this question, “How do you see yourself?” You may answer by saying that you use a mirror or that you have your photo taken etc. In truth these are ways in which you can see yourself but today this is not what I want you to focus on but rather I want you to take a good look at your “self”, at your inner being, the one that the others cannot see with their naked eyes, the one that is not defined by looks, height, size, weight, complexion, education, background or job; I want you to focus on the inner being, the real YOU.

Interestingly enough though that person---the inner you---cannot be seen with the naked eye, there is another window that gives a pretty accurate picture of him. Believe it or not but your thinking, behavior, attitude, actions, words etc. paint a very good picture of who we really are. We may try to run away from it but there is no escaping, the things we say, the way we behave or react and generally speaking, the things we do tell a story about us.

We sometimes think of ourselves in a certain way and are even really convinced that’s how we truly are but the story that our life tells can be very different. We may say to ourselves over and over again, “I am a kind person, I am a kind person…” but I can assure you that in order for you to get a true picture you should ask your family members, friends, colleagues and even those that just see you from afar.

I am reminded of this passage of scripture found in Matthew 7:16-18 (King James Version), “16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.”

Ultimately, when we look at the word of God we realize that it is not enough to just think that we are a certain way or a certain type of person. In order for us to get a more accurate picture or ourselves we must carefully observe our actions, reactions, attitudes, words etc.

Am I saying that everything that everyone says about us is always true and accurate or that we are always right/wrong about ourselves? Certainly not but the word of God tells us very clearly that the fruit we produce (i.e. our actions, reactions, attitude, behavior, the words we say etc.) will tells us what kind of tree we are looking at. In the passage that we read previously we find two types of trees, the “good tree” and the “corrupt tree”. Both of which can be recognized by the fruit that they produce.

At this point I would like you to take an honest look at yourself and think of what kind of tree you are based on your fruit (actions etc.) Is your fruit tasty or is it bitter?

Think about the title of this post, “Salt of The Earth” and ask yourself am I the type of person that makes bread tasty or even if you add me it remains flavorless? What do I mean by that? Well ask yourself what impact do you have on the lives of others, do you cause them to “Yum!” or do they go “Yuck!”?

Think about it for a moment then read Matthew 5:13 carefully, “13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”

First of all, I would like you to think about your purpose here on Earth. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and are born again (if you haven’t read here) then God has placed you here to be its salt. You are the one that gives flavor. You are useful, you are needed and you are highly valued by God. You are a bearer of God’s divine “saltiness” you are a living testimony of God’s grace, mercy and love towards mankind. You aren’t just there to live and survive you are here to be salt to the people in your life, to all those around you. You bare a very powerful testimony, you are a son/daughter of the Most High God and as a result when people get to know you they should see Jesus Christ in you. When they hear you talk, when they see your walk they should be exposed to God Himself through you.

Your actions speak volumes as the saying goes and this is true. And it’s not just what you do when you go to church, Bible study, Youth Ministry meetings etc. but it’s what you do all day, every day.

Take some time and think about this seriously because you run the risk of thinking that you are a certain way but as far as God and men are concerned there is no saltiness to you, you have lost your savor and have become tasteless. And I’ll go as far as saying that you may have become the kind of person that no one wants to be around, one that bring no salt to the game, one that causes people to run away.

Now understand that this thinking exercise is between you and God, the One who knows all and sees all. He is able to judge our thoughts and attitudes accurately and will surely guide us if we diligently seek Him.

My encouragement to you my friend is to look deep within and if you realize that you have not been the salt of the earth then turn to God immediately, confess your sin and He will surely forgive you. Then repent from the things that you have been doing that were wrong. Go truthfully to God and allow Him to set you free by His divine power. Then and only then will you be full of salt and will bear fruits that lead to eternal life.

There is a lot more that can be said on this topic but I would like to leave you with these words to meditate on and I implore you to do like the apostle Paul says in Romans 8:3 (King James Version), “3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”

And remember this last thought, God responds favorably to faith and humility.

May God’s minister to you personally and may you truly be salt to the world.

May your life be positively changed forever by the power of God Almighty!

Amen!

Reference #PRW0000009

Who's The Boss?

'Thought Provoker'
 
Have you given i.e. turned over your life to God? Have you ever said something like, "Lord I give you my life and accept you as my Lord and Savior"? If your answer is "no" then I would like to urge you to read a great article on that subject called "Did you miss the point? God's love for mankind." Now on the other hand, if your answer is "yes" then here is a little exercise that will help you determine how much of that is true in your life.

Reflect on the following and do your best to answer honestly; this is between you and God.

When faced with a difficult situation that you know the Bible addresses i.e. gives steps to deal with it, how often do you override these instructions with your own? If you don't quite get what I am talking about here is a practical example. You brother (or sister) in Christ accuses you of doing something wrong and even starts spreading rumors about you as a result. The unfortunate thing is that he never spoke to you nor did he have facts about the whole situation but none the less went about saying all those evil things about you based on mere speculations. Someone that realizes what's going and knows what really happened speaks to that brother telling him that what he is doing is wrong. He further explains to him what really happened, proves your innocence and tells him that he should approach you to tell you how he has wronged you and to ask for forgiveness.

Your brother recognizes him wrong and approaches you, explaining how he has been spreading rumors and saying all kinds of lies about you without knowing what really happened. He then asks you for forgiveness saying that he has sinned against God and yourself.

What would your reaction be knowing that his brother has been spreading those lies for quite some time and you've been really hurt?

Do you know what the Bible has to say about forgiveness?

If you don't, here is one instance of what Christ has to say about that subject in Matthew chapter 18 verses 19 to35 (King James Version), "19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."
We've just read one passage from the book of Matthew that talks about forgiveness and we learn a lot about God's stand on forgiveness. Christ clearly tells us here that we should forgive someone that offends us (has sinned against us) when they ask for forgiveness. Not only so but He tells us a parable that illustrates this very principle; we should treat others--forgive them--in the same way we would like God to deal with us i.e. forgive us.

So the godly response to our brother is to forgive him for his offense in the same way we would like God to forgive us for our offenses.

Now, my question to you is the following, "Is this the way that you react all the time?" The reason I'm asking this question is that not all of us react in this fashion. I have heard many say things like this, "I know what the word of God says but I can't let this go so easily." As a result many bear hatred in their heart against their brother/sister, even for many years and do so in such a way that they would avoid all contact with that person. No matter how hard that brother or sister tries and in spite of their best efforts to mend to relationship, some just refuse to forgive.

So tell me, according to God's word, is that the way we should handle this situation? Though it may not have been uttered in such terms, we are really saying, "God I hear what you say, I know what your word says but I'm sorry I can't have it, I'm going to handle this situation my way."

And this example only looks at forgiveness, there are many other areas where the word of God gives us guidelines and shows us what me must do. Consider the following areas:

• Love
• Money
• Reconciliation
• Helping those in need
• Service to God
• Humility/Pride
• Dealing with our enemies
• Anger
• Patience
• Etc.

I could spend the whole day talking about life's situations and the biblical response to them.

Again, I'm going to ask you this vital question, "Who's really the boss?" You may quickly say, God is the "Boss" He's in charge, He's the one that rules my life, He's my Lord and He's my Savior. But I'll tell you the truth, your reactions and the way you deal with situations you encounter will tell the true story about who the boss truly is, whether it's God or you.

Ultimately, you recognize a tree at its fruits and a wise builder builds on the rock by putting the word of God into practice; even when it hurts.

My encouragement to you today is to consider what you've just read and to truly give God that special place in your life where He is your Lord (above all else, even yourself) and the ultimate Master of your life.

Put God's word into practice every day, in the small and big things and include Him in your decision-making process. I assure you and the word of God confirms it, God knows best and He expects obedience from His children out of love and devotion. After all He is your Lord and Savior and salvation in found in Him through His Son Jesus Christ.

May God bless you and give you the strength to put His word into practice daily.

The word of God is indeed a "Practical Word" not just a mental exercise but has the power to change your life for the better.

Amen!

 

Reference #PRW0000008

Did you miss the point? God's love for mankind

 

Many people know this famous Bible verse found in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

It may not seem like much to some but I would like to give some perspective to this verse. The first thing that we must note is that it's love that caused God to do what He did by sending His Only son to save the world.

God did not send His Son into the world for animals, plants or for building, no! God sent His only Son to save mankind. If you have any doubts about that statement check out John 3:17, "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."

This just shows us how great God's love for us is and the reason that I did not use the past tense "was" but used the present tense "is" is because of the fact that this great love for mankind is as true today as it was then. Here are some reasons why:

    1. 1 John 4:8 tells us, "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."

    2. James 1:17, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

Simply put, God is the same and does not change! Even when we do wrong God loves us. And be assured of this by reading Romans 5:8, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Even when we were sinners, enemies of God, even we didn't care about Him, He loved us. How much more shall He love us now?

Now the other part of John chapter three verse sixteen tells us that salvation comes by believing in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ His Son. Do you know that there is no miss-and-hit with God, He is always on target? What I mean by this statement is that there is no disappointing when it comes to salvation as far as God's word is concerned, once you meet His requirements, you will be saved.

So, have faith, believe in Jesus Christ, believe in His works and that through Him you are saved from the condemnation of sin and that you have new life in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 guarantees that, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

                                                                                                                                        

Please note dear friends that John 3:16 says whoever believes, so this means that even if your parents, grandparents, siblings or friends believe and you don't, they will be save but not you. It may sound harsh but it's the truth and the truth is what that will set you free. There is no transfer of salvation each person must recognize for themselves their need for Christ and accept Him personally as their Savior.

Don't depend on others for the most important decision you could ever make but make that choice today.

If you feel convicted as you read this message and would like to know what you can do today to make and accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior I would like you to say a prayer with me. A note of caution though, these aren't just words to be repeated lightly, if there is something that we can learn about God from His word is that prayer means nothing to Him if we don't have faith in Him and believe we are going to get what we ask for. Hebrew 11:6 says, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." And James 1:6, " But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."

"Dear God, I come to you in the name of your Son Jesus Christ, and I say thank you for speaking to me today. I thank you for loving me so much that even when I didn't care about you, you sent your only Son to die for me. I am a sinner and I recognize that without your Son in My life I am condemned. I need you in my life at this very moment to lead me, to direct me and to save me. I recognize that your Son Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sin and that you raised Him from the dead so that I could have a new life in Him.

Jesus, I accept you today as Lord of my life and as my Savior and I'm asking you to come into my life now, to forgive me from my past sins and dwell with me. I now believe that in You I am a new creature and that the old things that I have done have passed away and that all things have become new. Thank you Lord for doing this wonderful thing for me, so I can be called a son/daughter of God today. Amen!"

Blessings on you from God Almighty and from His Word!

 

 

Reference: #PRW0000007

Free but Costly

 

I would like to take this opportunity to share a thought with you. I pray that it will encourage and remind you of the greatness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May it remain in your heart all the days of your life and may it greatly bless you.

This thought is centered on a word that we hear quite often nowadays, the word “Free”.

How many times have we heard of an ad that gives something away for free? Or read an article online that offers something for free?

I can assure you that I have seen plenty offers where there is some free giveaway. Sometimes you may be at the supermarket or the mall and there is a free sampling of a new product, etc.

There is something that I realized concerning those free products, many times, because we didn’t pay for them we tend not to take good care of them, as much as something that we would have paid with our own money. This is true especially when it comes to something that doesn’t have a high commercial value. Say for example that you were given a free bookmark. It’s a relatively cheap item that you may have accepted out of courtesy, you may hold on to it for a while but it may very well end up in the next bin that you encounter.

In my opinion this is based on two things, the first one is that it is something that was given to you freely and that you didn’t have to pay for. The second is that it may not necessarily be something that you value or it’s simply unimportant to you.

Now, with all this in mind I would like to ask you a question, were those items free? You may answer “yes” which would be correct because you didn’t have to pay for them and they had some value, as small as it may be. At this time I would like you to consider the other side of this equation. Think of it like this, whenever something is given away for free it had to have cost someone something. It may have been little, it may have been much, it may have been time, money, skills etc. Just think of it…

Consider this, an item is only free for the one that receives it, a price had to be paid somehow by one or many people.

Read the following passage of Scripture found in Ephesians 2 8-9 (KJV), “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

We read here that we are saved through faith and that it is a gift from God. This goes to show that salvation is not based on human efforts of abilities but on God’s gift to mankind.

The question is, do you know what that gift is? Let’s look at the following verses found in John chapter 3 and verses 16 and 17, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

What a gift! Can you believe that? The gift in question here is Jesus Christ, the only Son of God. I can assure you that this gift not only was very valuable but the price that was paid was very high. To understand all this better I’ll invite you to read a few passages with me.

The first one is found in Isaiah 53:3-10 (KJV), "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand."

This is a prophetic passage of scripture by the prophet Isaiah talking about the Messiah (Jesus Christ) and the suffering that He would have to go through during His earthly ministry.

The second passage is found in Matthew 16:21 (JKV), "From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day."

And our final one is Mark 10:33-34 (KJV), "Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again."
These are just a few passages that show us that Christ had to suffer many things at the hands of men and that it was for our sake. He was imprisoned, beaten, spat upon, mocked tortured with a crown of thorns placed on His head, He was crucified with criminals, nails pierced His feet and His hand and finally, He died.

It is written in Romans 10:9-10 (KJV), "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

You see salvation is accessible to any and everyone as long as they follow these principles. It’s not about what you have done or how you lived your life, whether good or bad, what matters at the end of it all is that you place your faith in Jesus Christ, God’s gift to the world for salvation.

Indeed, Jesus Christ, God’s gift to mankind is free for all those that receive Him but it did come at a price and a very high one. Today I would like to encourage you to place your faith in God and in His Son Jesus Christ because He is more than able to take care of you.

Value this gift with your life because Christ paid a price that no one else could have paid and suffered dearly so that we could be reconciled with God today.

A free gift like none else: Jesus Christ, the Son of God to the world.

Receive this gift today and treat it as it deserves to be treated, The Most Valuable Gift In The World.

May the Word of God bless your heart!

 

 

Reference: #PRW0000005