Salt of the Earth: Part 4: Thirsty for God

Have you every eaten a ton of popcorn like at the movies?  Or eaten a lot of pretzels or potato chips?  All of these foods have one thing in common.  They are covered in salt.  So what happens when we eat a lot of popcorn, pretzels, and potato chips?  We get really thirsty.  Thirst is one of the by products of salt. As we talked about yesterday with preserving, salt draws out liquid which cause things to stay dry.

This is what happens when we eat salty foods, it dries us out and causes us to become thirsty.  That would be why most of us buy that giant soda to go with our popcorn when we go to the movies.  It is often hard to quench our thirst when we eat a lot of salt. 

We need to be like salt and be thirsty for God.  We have to want him in our lives and want him to be a huge part of our lives.  We have to study the bible, pray, and attend weekly worship services so we can try to quench our thirst.

When we are the salt of the earth, we ultimately don't want to quench our thirst.  We want to always be thirsty for God and always continue to grow in our faith.  We need to constantly be finding ways that we can grow our faith.  If we remain in a constant state of thirst, we are truly being the salt of the earth.

We must be thirsty for God and we must make others thirsty for God as well.  We can do this by inviting them to Youth Group, Church, or Bible Study.  We can make every effort to provide them opportunity to become thirsty as well.  We can draw out the living water inside them and help them realize the love of God.

Go forth and be thirsty for God.  Better yet, go forth and cause others to be thirsty for God.  We can do all this by being the salt of the earth!

Salt of the Earth: Part 3: Preserving People

One of the most early uses of salt was preserving food.  Before the invention of refrigeration, salt was used to preserve meats and keep them from spoiling.  Salt is still used today to preserve foods.  Without salt there lots of foods would of gone bad and who knows what foods people would have never eaten.  Salt helps to draw out of the moisture in food allowing it to be preserved and saved for later consumption.  The salt is applied to the outside of the food covering it and drawing out the moisture.  The food is then left in a cool place where it will cure.  There are even salt barrels that meats are placed inside where they are preserved.

So how does this translate into how we can be the salt of the earth and preserve people? 

Good question!

Everybody has different issues and problems that come up.  We have things that make our lives difficult.  People are hurting and suffering from  money issues, bullying, physical pain and aliments, loss of loved ones, and so many other things.  When someone comes to work or church and is in a bad or sad mood, we have no clue what is happening in their lives that is causing them this pain.  We think that we know people but in the end do we really know what is bothering them?

It is up to us to stop and be in the moment.  It is up to us to listen and try to help.  We must be like salt and cover them with love.  We must be willing to step outside of our comfort zone to help preserve people and keep them reaching pains that are irreversible.

When a person's heart is hurting, they are spoiling. We can not allow people to spoil, we must preserve them.  We must be the hands and feet of God and reach out to them.  No matter what a person has done they must be loved and cared for.  They must be preserved.

When you see a person in need or hurting, reach out and pour your love, you salt on to them.  Help them to realize that they are loved.  By being the salt of the earth they will see the love of Jesus through you.

Go out and preserve people!

Salt of the Earth: Part 2: Melting Away Problems

After a snow or ice storm we have to do some cleaning up so that it is safe to go out whether it is to school, work, or the store.  Often two different substances are used to help with snow and ice.  They are sand and of course salt.  Sand is often poured over ice or snow to help add traction which allows us to safely walk over an area.  Salt is used because when poured over ice or snow it will help to melt it away.

You see although sand is useful, it doesn't get rid of the problem (ice and snow), it just covers it up.  If the sand where to be moved the ice and or snow would still be there.  Salt on the other hand melts away the snow and ice.  The ice and or snow becomes water and is no longer a slipping hazard.

I think too often in life people are covered in sand.  They find quick fixes to situations and problems which ultimately just covers them up but doesn't make the issues go away.  People want to avoid conflict, (trust me, I try to at all costs), they don't want to get to the root of a problem or argument and instead they just try to throw sand on it.  They don't want to dig deeper to find out what the real issue is.

It is easy to throw sand but if we are to be the salt of the earth, we need to throw salt.  We need to get to the root of problems and have open honest discussions.  We need to talk things out and allow others to know how we truly feel.  We need to allow others the opportunity to tell us how they feel about us and truly talk through problems.  Melting away problems is a two way street.  We need to be open to trying to figure out the root of the problem and melting it away instead of just throwing sand on it.

We can also help others melt away problems by listening and being there for them.  We can be that shoulder to cry on or listening ear when they need it most.  If we don't take the time to help our friends are we truly being salt or are we being sand?

Continue to work on being salt.  Listen to others, pray with them, love them, and cry with them.  Be open and honest about your issues and don't try to cover up your problems with sand.  Be salt and your problems will melt away.

Salt of the Earth: Part 1: Adding Taste to Life

 

 

Mathew 5: 13-16

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵ No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ 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.

This year for both our Guys' Retreat and Girls' Retreat, we discussed being the salt of the earth.  We are called to be the salt of the earth, but what does that mean or look like?  In our retreat we discussed how Salt has many characteristics and if we take on these characteristics, we can be the salt of the earth and be the hands and feet of Jesus.  we discussed six different ways that we can be like Salt. 

Most people associate salt as a seasoning agent.  It is something that we use to season our food or add taste to it.  People use salt on French fries, vegetables, in baked goods, and even on Watermelon. (I know that I sure like it on Watermelon).  In almost every cooking situation where spices are used, you can add salt.  It is a staple in most people's diets and in small doses is essential for living.

This is what we need to do for the people around us.  We need to add flavor to life.  By being salt and adding flavor to life we can help to bring joy and happiness. 

We can be that "pick me up" that a person might need.  You never know what kind of day they might be happen. 

We can write a card to someone, bring flowers to someone, or buy them coffee. 

 We can sing and dance just for the fun of it. 

We can make people laugh and do funny things just to be funny! 

When we are going through the drive thru at a fast food restaurant, we can pay for the person behind us! 

We can invite someone to dinner or throw a party just for the heck of it! 

We can help someone paint their house! 

We can just hang out for the day with someone we don't get to see very often.

We can be happy, we can share the love of Christ, we can just enjoy life and in turn, people that are around us will enjoy life too! 

If we are the salt of the earth and add taste to life, people will enjoy their lives so much more and they will see Christ in us and in our actions.

So today I say you go out and add taste to life.  Do something special to make someone's life taste good! 

Go and be the Salt of the Earth!

June 24, 2013

It has been a year since I have written on this blog.  It is time for me to get back into writing again.  I just watched the end of the movie "We Bought a Zoo."  I forgot how good that movie is.  It makes me cry. 

There is a part in the movie where the father tells his son that if he just has 20 seconds of insane courage he can say how he truly feels to the girl he likes. 

I want to have 20 seconds of insane courage. 

Do you know what I could do if I had 20 seconds of insane courage? 

I think that if each of us just had 20 seconds of insane courage we could fix a relationship by truly telling someone how sorry we are. 

We could tell someone that we love them no matter how they feel toward us. 

We could say goodbye to a dying friend or relative. 

We could make a phone call that we have been putting off. 

We could tell someone how we truly feel.

I wish for all of us that 20 seconds of insane courage when we need it most!