I gotta say this is somewhat a continuation of yesterday’s Blog Entry – How are love, faith and panties related?  🙂

 

I wear down easily living in this broken, disparate world.  People are not always nice and fair.  People are unreasonable at times.  Putting on the armor of God  (Ephesians 6:11-18) EVERYDAY is a must to even walk out the door.  I find it very difficult at times to even walk into the grocery or postoffice (not to mention my kid’s sporting games) where I know that I’ll be greeted with superficial smiles and greetings, some scowls, an amazing lack of morals and various levels of frustration.   

So, I get worn down.  I get frustrated and want to stay in my little world of amazing Christian souls who love the Lord as I do and believe in HIS economy and HIS ways.  It’s a much easier on me.  Oh wait… but it’s not supposed to be about me, is it?! 

Then… I go to scripture and get put back into the place where I belong.

I fully understand why I don’t necessarily ‘fit in’ here and why persecution is a real thing.  John 15:19-20 says…

The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.

…and I get REALLY convicted when I read about how we need to be the ‘salt and light’ of this world (Matthew 5:13-14). 

You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.  You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 

Salt seasons, preserves, makes palatable.  That means that the salt needs to get on that which it needs to season.  It needs to come into contact with that which is bland and unsavory.  I think that this is an authoritative instruction that I must not stay in my ‘happy bubble’.  Furthermore, this scripture indicates that if my salt isn’t working… I’m done.  Ouch!  My understanding of salt is that it never looses its flavor.  But if it is combined with impurities (sin), salt can lose it’s ability to ‘season’ and enhance.   Is there sin in my life… yeah I think so… the short list would be pride, anxiety and unforgiveness.  How about you?

On to light.

Matthew 5:14-16 says…

You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Scripture indicates that being light isn’t optional.  Jesus said, ‘You are the light of this world…’  We are how his love and mercy are to be transmitted to this broken world.  His love is to radiate out from us.  Philippians 2:14-15 says…

Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

I guess… even though I sometimes find it difficult to go out into the ‘darkness’… I just have to.  I’m a child of the Living King and I have been told by my Creator that I AM salt and that I AM light.  It’s not a choice.  No way to avoid this… so let’s put on our Armor… Praise our God that we are Chosen… and get busy radiating His love to all.

1 Peter 2:11-12

Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.   Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.

2 Corinthians 9:12-13

So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.  As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ.

AMEN!  Praise God for his endless grace and mercy…