Worth Your Salt (Part II)
November/03/2008 12:05 PM
Last week, we talked about how Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth. As the salt of the Earth, we are to impact those who are in the world around us. Jesus also said that if we lose our saltiness, we are useless to others and the kingdom. What makes us the salt of the earth and how do we stay salty?
To gain a better understanding of this passage of scripture, it is important to read the verses around it, so let’s back up a few verses to Luke 14:26-31, 33.
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters --yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him saying, ’This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king, will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”
I believe the key to being salt and staying salty is found in these verses. First of all, we need to realize that we have to love Christ more than anything else on this Earth. It sounds harsh when Jesus speaks of “hating” our father, mother, spouse and kids. It almost seems like he is speaking in a way that contradicts scriptures saying, “Love thy neighbor as thyself,” or “The greatest of these is love.” However, He is not contradicting the word at all. This word “hate” means that the love we have for our family and even our own life should be less than the love that we have for Jesus. To be a true disciple of Christ, we have to put Him above all things, even those things that are precious to us.
Secondly, Jesus said unless we pick up our cross and follow him, we cannot be His disciple. In Mathew 16:24, we find the verse that mirrors Luke 14:27, “If anyone come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” John 12:24 also states, “ The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” Other than the Devil and demons, our biggest enemy to contend with, is our flesh or sinful nature of desires and lusts. Our flesh is constantly trying to gain control over our spirit man by talking to us and pulling at us. However, the Word says that we can’t walk in the spirit if we are giving into the flesh. The apostle Paul said “I keep my body under everyday, lest after I preach to others become a castaway.” Paul understood that he had to say no to sin daily by not giving into selfish motives or actions that would pull him away from God and keep him from fulfilling God’s purpose for his life.
In order to keep our spirit man in control, it is essential that we have a strong prayer life and word level in our heart. We can also keep our flesh under by practicing fasting in combination with prayer. We must stay filled, or be-being filled, so that our spirit man is constantly yielded and sensitive to the Holy Spirit. We can be dry as a bone with our flesh in the driver’s seat, or we can stay saturated and filled to overflowing by spending time in His presence. Denying our flesh means that we say, ‘not my will Father, but yours be done.’ We make a decision in our hearts and in our minds that if a dream, a plan or an activity doesn’t put the Kingdom of God first, or glorify His name, we steer clear of it. It also means going the extra mile, even when we are tired and weary. Daily we must put our flesh under, pick up our cross and follow Him.
Thirdly, we must count the cost to be the salt of the earth and be a true disciple of Jesus. Notice the parable of the man who started to build the tower, but didn’t first sit down to consider if he had enough money to finish it. Before we decide to follow Christ with our whole being, He wants us to consider the cost. What exactly does it cost to be a Christian? We have already established that we must put Him first place in our lives and put our flesh under in order to yield to His will. But, it also means we have to stay the course and follow through. We can start off with a lot of zeal, but fizzle out down the road. God is calling us to be a faithful servant and a wise steward with all he has given us. We must not only be a starter, like the man who started building a tower, but we must be finishers to the end. In Exodus 13:17 , when Pharaoh freed the Israelites, God did not lead them on the shorter route through Philistine country. Why? God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”
Once we begin our journey with God, we can’t turn around and head back towards Egypt when the going gets tough. No, when the going gets tough, the tough get on their knees! We must realize that following Christ may not cause us to win a popularity contest. Remember the verse we shared last week in Matthew 5:11-12?
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad because great is your reward in heaven…”
I Tim. 3:2 also says, “Everyone who lives a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
We are the salt of the earth. We are here to be the example of Jesus to the world. Let’s stay salty and build the Kingdom!
kimconnor@whwc.org
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