A Preserving Factor

 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

— Ephesians 5:15–16

 

In the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth . . . " His listeners would have immediately understood what He was saying: "You are a preserving factor in the culture today."

Salt not only was a valuable commodity in the first century, but it also was used as a preservative. In the absence of refrigeration or ice machines, salt would be rubbed into meat to keep it from the process of putrefaction. Also, meat would be sliced into slender strips, dipped into a saline solution, and thereby preserved until a later date.

In the same way, Christians can act as a preservative in the culture. As a representative of Jesus, you, as a believer, can change the dynamic of a room. That very tension says that you are a representative of Jesus Christ, and people know it. Your presence makes a difference.

But we can't sting the world's conscience if we go against our own. We cannot be an influence for purity in the world if we are compromised in our purity. We cannot be used by God to stop the corruption of sin in others if it has corrupted us. Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men" (Matthew 5:13).

It is the Christians who stand up for what is right. It is the Christians who speak out against what is wrong. It is the Christians who are always at the front line of every effort around the world to help people who are hurting, regardless of whether they have faith. That is what Christians do. We are the salt of the earth.

Shine Your Light

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden."

— Matthew 5:14

 

When you are living for Jesus Christ, your very presence will sometimes bother others. And the more godly a person is, the more obviously this will take place. Few things are more difficult to put up with than a good example. And when you live this way, it really gets the attention of people.

Light reveals things. We have all heard the well-worn excuses as to why people don't believe in Jesus. But the real reason people don't believe is they don't want their sin exposed. They don't want to acknowledge their shortcomings. The Bible says, "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed" (John 3:19–20).

Light not only exposes what is hidden in the darkness, but light shows the way out. In the same way, the light that shines from Christians shows people not only their shortcomings and their sins, but it shows them the way out, the way to Jesus Christ.

What kind of general opinion do you think people would have of Christianity if you were its sole representative? What if every Christian lived exactly like you? How many would be attracted to or turned off by the gospel? Jesus said, "You are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14). You may be the only representative of Jesus Christ that your friends, your family, your coworkers, and your neighbors may ever meet. And they will evaluate the whole idea of Christianity on the basis of what they see in you. They will form an opinion about what they think about God based on you. So let your light shine.

"Father, Forgive Them. . . ."

Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."

— Luke 23:34

 

Can you think of someone right now whom you cannot imagine ever being a follower of Jesus Christ? I would challenge you to start praying for that person by name. No one is beyond the reach of God's hand. Jesus prayed for the very people who crucified Him. Can you pray for someone who has wronged you?

In one Gospel account, we read that both criminals being crucified with Jesus joined in the mockery from the onlookers. The King James Version calls them thieves, but the word that was used to describe the kind of criminals they were is far more severe. These men probably were insurrectionists or murderers, engaged in trying to overthrow Rome. That is why they were being dealt with in such a harsh way. The Romans wanted to make an example out of anyone who dared to defy their power.

These two hardened criminals had heard it all, seen it all, and probably had done it all. But then Jesus made His first statement from the cross: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34). And right there on the spot, one of those hardened criminals believed. He had never seen anything like this before. Think of all that he had been exposed to during his life that brought him to the place where he was now, where he was dying for his sins and crimes. Yet to hear someone who had been treated even worse than him, who had been whipped and scourged and beaten—in addition to being crucified—actually pray for His enemies caused this man to believe. He turned to Jesus and said, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom" (Luke 23:42).

No one is beyond the reach of prayer. Who needs your prayers today?

Beware of Snakes

Have you ever seen a baby rattlesnake? They are actually kind of cute. Everything is miniaturized. They get that menacing look on their face, bare their fangs, and shake that rattler, warning you of impending doom.

You might look at it and think, "What harm could a little snake like this do?" The answer: plenty!

Did you know that the venom of a baby rattlesnake is more toxic than that of an adult rattlesnake? The best thing to do if you see a baby rattler is either kill it yourself or find someone who can.

I know they play their part in the balance of nature, etc. But they also play their part in biting people—sometimes with very unpleasant results.

The Bible compares Satan to a snake:

"Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Has God indeed said, "You shall not eat of every tree of the garden"?'" (Genesis 3:1).

Satan often gets us with the "smaller sins" that turn into larger ones. In other words, "little" compromises lead to big consequences.

He knows what he is doing, and has honed his craft of temptation for many years. He knows that if he can just get you to "think about it," then he has a foot—or a fang—in the door!

When Satan wanted to lead the first man and woman into sin, he started by attacking the mind (in this case, the mind of Eve). Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:3, "I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ" (NASB).

Why? Because it is here, in "command central," that we reason, contemplate, and fantasize. Your mind can reach into the past through memories, and into the future through imagination.

This is why the Bible says, "For the weapons of our warfare are not physical but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ!" (2 Corinthians 10:4).

Satan, the Deceiver, wants to get you to "just think about it," and to say, "What if . . . ? I mean I would never do this, but if I did, what would it be like?"

To accomplish his purposes, though, Satan needs help. Many times, we say, "The devil made me do it." But the fact of the matter is the tempter needs cooperation from the tempted.

Scripture tells us that every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed, and baited by his own evil desire (or lust or passions). (See James 1:13–14).

Remember, it's not the bait that constitutes sin; it's the bite!

God's Deliberate Plan

Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.

— Acts 2:23–24

 

If you have ever lost anyone suddenly, unexpectedly, you know exactly how devastating it is. It tears you up inside. You don't even know if you will be able to survive it. It can seem like a fate worse than death.

This is how the followers of Jesus felt when He was taken from them and murdered in cold blood before their very eyes. We have the advantage of knowing the whole story of the death and resurrection of Jesus. But these first-century followers of Jesus were living it in real time. It was their hope that Jesus would establish His kingdom on earth, and they would rule and reign with Him. He was their Lord. He was their Master. He was their everything. And then suddenly, unexpectedly, without understanding why, He was betrayed by one of their own. And when Jesus said on the cross, "It is finished!" that is how they felt. It was finished. The dream was over. The end had come. But really it was just the beginning.

Everything was going according to plan—God's plan. The incarnation was for the purpose of the atonement. Jesus was born to die that we might live. When the wise men came and brought their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the child Jesus, each one of those gifts had significance. They brought gold because He was a King. They brought frankincense, or incense, because He would be our high priest, representing us to God. And finally, myrrh was an element used in embalming, because Jesus was coming to die for the sins of the world.

Much has been said about who was responsible for the death of Jesus Christ. But it was the deliberate and well-thought-out plan of God for Jesus to die—and to rise again.