Monday, January 15, 2024
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are 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 CSB
The Jesus Way – The Way of Influence
This past Sunday Pastor Jim continued in our series -The Jesus Way with The Way of Influence. As Christ followers living The Jesus Way, we can influence a dark and decaying world. Today we will look at the words of Jesus when He said we are “salt and light” and exactly what that means for living The Jesus Way.
Let’s Talk About Salt -
Salt changes things. Salt adds flavor to food. Salt also heals wounds, cleanses bacteria, preserves, and can even get rid of stains. In Jesus’ time, salt was used to preserve food because they didn’t have refrigeration. Salt was rubbed into meat and fish to keep it from spoiling before it could be eaten. As Christians we can be salt to the world by influencing the world for good, the way salt enhances the flavor of food. We do this by living The Jesus Way. When we bring Jesus to a world decaying in sin, we are helping to stop or slow down the decay. We can be a positive influence, ministers of Christ to a broken and sick world by enhancing and communicating God’s goodness. If we are influenced by the world instead of influencing the world, we become contaminated, and like salt that is contaminated, we lose our effectiveness. When we look more like the world than Jesus, our ability to influence others for the kingdom is compromised.
Let’s Talk About Light –
Light dispels the darkness, the dark shadows, the pitch black of night. Darkness cannot overcome light. Light illuminates, exposes, and shows us the way. Light helps us find things and light reveals – exposing the truth of sin. As Christians, Jesus says we are the light and we are to shine His light to the rest of the world, showing the way to Him. We are not to hide away from the world. We are not to hide our faith or neglect to reflect Jesus. Just as light penetrates darkness, we are to penetrate the darkness of this world and lead them to hope. We are beacons drawing the lost with actions that reveal the character of Christ, stirring a desire to know God. We are to live the Jesus Way – the way that shines the light of Jesus through our words, actions, and deeds.
How should Christ-followers look before a lost world when they live The Jesus Way? We should never be surprised when lost people act like lost people – but salt knows better. We are salt and no matter how the lost people are acting around us, we are still called to be salt. Our humanity can get in the way in a hurry, but there is no wavering here – we are expected to be salt in the face of everything that comes at us.
Jesus didn’t say go find salt and go find light. He said we ARE the salt and light. We are to be in the world but separate from the world. This broken world needs hope. As Christians, being salt and light will happen naturally out of a life transformed by Him. As we love people and care for them, God’s light will shine through us, and they will know the flavor of God’s love that is better than anything they have ever known. Through the character of Jesus in our transformed life God will be glorified. Go and be salt and light to the world. Influence by illuminating the truth and preserving.
- Are you influencing the world or are you being influenced by the world? Shine the light of Jesus on your own life and take note of what is there and what is missing.
- If you feel like you are not influencing the world with good works, ask God to grow you spiritually so that you will be living The Jesus Way and in doing so pointing others to Christ.
