Salt and Light

 

I have been thinking about salt and light the last couple of days.  Salt is amazing and can really add flavor to a dish, it can also be very overpowering if used wrong.  God calls us to be salt and light, and uses us to add flavor and illumination.  When we are in sync with him and allow him to work through us he controls the amount of salt and light that are brought into our surroundings.  When we go it on our own, working under our own power, we have a tendency to over season, lose our saltiness, or shine our light in the wrong direction.  My prayer today is that I would be sensitive to how God is working in me and through me, and that I would never second guess the proportions he uses.


Matthew 5:13-16

Salt and Light
    “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

   “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Oasis

 

An Oasis is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source.  If the water dries up the vegetation dies.  I find that God's Word is an Oasis that never dries up.  When I am in the Word I feel satisfied, spiritually full, capable of giving and receiving.  When I stray from the Word, I find myself feeling empty, tired, dried out.  It is my prayer today that I would recognize and seek refuge in the Oasis that God has provided in his Word.

Psalm 46:1-3

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

Strength in Numbers

While I sketched this I was thinking about how branches that are woven together as they grow form a strong bond that is not easily broken, moved, or shaken.  As we sow into one another similar bonds are created.  God has pointed out several people to me this week that could use a bit of encouragement.  He is asking me to pray for them, lift them up, and be purposeful in my interaction with them. 

Question to ponder --- Who is God laying on your heart this week?

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Scales

In a moment everything changed. 

Acts 9

 ¹ Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest ² and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. ³ As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  ⁵ “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
   “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶ “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
 ⁷ The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. ⁸ Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. ⁹ For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
 ¹⁰ In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
   “Yes, Lord,” he answered.
 ¹¹ The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ¹² In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
 ¹³ “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
 ¹⁵ But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. ¹⁶ I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
 ¹⁷ Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, ¹⁹ and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Gifts

I spent the week crisscrossing the country and on my various flights I had the opportunity to meet some really interesting individuals.   I came away from the week with the sense that many of us walk around in a very distracted state.  I often miss what is right next to me because I am thinking three steps ahead.  This week I tried to operate in the moment, I attempted to slow down and really listen to what God was saying, and I tried to think of my week as a journey to be stepped through one moment at a time.  God laid it on my heart this week, that we are to focus on him both coming and going, for we never know when he may choose to use us.  It is my prayer today that I would operate more in the moment, allowing  God to guide me and point out where he would have me use the gifts that he has given me.


1 Peter 4:10-11

¹⁰ Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.