Matt. 5:13,14 Message
“Let me tell you why you are here.
You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth.
If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness?
You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven."
You and I are called to be a "Difference Maker." We can't make that difference being like everyone else and doing what every one else does. When salt goes into something it changes it! When the light come on, people see!
I want to challenge you this week to make a difference. Read the story below and see how just one man made a difference to an entire town.
“Let me tell you why you are here.
You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth.
If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness?
You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven."
You and I are called to be a "Difference Maker." We can't make that difference being like everyone else and doing what every one else does. When salt goes into something it changes it! When the light come on, people see!
I want to challenge you this week to make a difference. Read the story below and see how just one man made a difference to an entire town.
A quiet forest dweller lived high above an Austrian village along the eastern slopes of the Alps. The old gentleman had been hired many years ago by a young town council to clear away the debris from the pools of water up in the mountain crevices that fed the lovely spring flowing through their town. With faithful, silent regularity, he patrolled the hills, removed the leaves and branches, and wiped away the silt that would otherwise choke and contaminate the fresh flow of water. By and by, the village became a popular attraction for vacationers. Swans floated along the crystal clear spring, mill wheels of various businesses located along the water, farmlands were naturally irrigated, and the view from restaurants was picturesque beyond description.
Years passed. One evening the town council met for its semiannual meeting. As they reviewed the budget, one man's eye caught the salary figure, being paid the obscure keeper of the spring. The keeper of the purse, "Who is the old man? Why do we keep him on year after year? No one ever sees him. For all we know the strange ranger of the hills is doing us no good. He isn't necessary any longer!" By a unanimous vote, they dispensed with the old man's services.
For several weeks nothing changed. By early autumn the trees began to shed their leaves. Small branches snapped off and fell into the pools, hindering the rushing flow of sparkling water. One afternoon someone noticed a slight yellowish-brown tint in the spring. A couple of days later the water was much darker. Within another week, a slimy film covered sections of the water along the banks and a foul odor was soon detected. The mill wheels moved slower, some finally ground to a halt. Swans left, as did the tourists. Clammy fingers of disease and sickness reached deeply into the village.
Quickly, the embarrassed council called a special meeting. Realizing their gross error in judgment, they hired back the old keeper of the spring. Within a few weeks the veritable river of life began to clear up. The wheels started to turn, and new life returned to the hamlet in the Alps once again.
This story is more than an idle tale. It carries with it a vivid relevant analogy directly related to the times in which we live. What the keeper of the springs meant to the Swiss village, Christians mean to the world. We Christians may seem feeble, needless, unimportant, and small to the vast world, but God help any society that attempts to exist without our influence.
We, Christ's ambassadors, are assigned the position of influencing and impacting our world not unlike the old gentleman in the Alps.
Years passed. One evening the town council met for its semiannual meeting. As they reviewed the budget, one man's eye caught the salary figure, being paid the obscure keeper of the spring. The keeper of the purse, "Who is the old man? Why do we keep him on year after year? No one ever sees him. For all we know the strange ranger of the hills is doing us no good. He isn't necessary any longer!" By a unanimous vote, they dispensed with the old man's services.
For several weeks nothing changed. By early autumn the trees began to shed their leaves. Small branches snapped off and fell into the pools, hindering the rushing flow of sparkling water. One afternoon someone noticed a slight yellowish-brown tint in the spring. A couple of days later the water was much darker. Within another week, a slimy film covered sections of the water along the banks and a foul odor was soon detected. The mill wheels moved slower, some finally ground to a halt. Swans left, as did the tourists. Clammy fingers of disease and sickness reached deeply into the village.
Quickly, the embarrassed council called a special meeting. Realizing their gross error in judgment, they hired back the old keeper of the spring. Within a few weeks the veritable river of life began to clear up. The wheels started to turn, and new life returned to the hamlet in the Alps once again.
This story is more than an idle tale. It carries with it a vivid relevant analogy directly related to the times in which we live. What the keeper of the springs meant to the Swiss village, Christians mean to the world. We Christians may seem feeble, needless, unimportant, and small to the vast world, but God help any society that attempts to exist without our influence.
We, Christ's ambassadors, are assigned the position of influencing and impacting our world not unlike the old gentleman in the Alps.
Our Father in Heaven sees what we do. No matter how insignificant we feel we are, we make a difference. We are called salt and light. Salt is a preservative, a seasoning and an antiseptic. Which means we are a preserver of the earth, we make life tasty and we can clean things up from disease, rotting and infections.
However, when we are in the dark like the rest of the world, we may feel like the Father has left us. He will never leave us. Feelings lie.
Picture a man in a dark room. He feels a warm, soft fur with one hand and a cold sharp edge with the other, and draws in close to the warmth and softness of the fur. But, when the light goes on, he sees that the warm, soft fur is the underbelly of a horrid, man-eating monster; and the hard, cold edge, is the sword of Christ ready to save. The reason he was controlled by his desire for the man-eating monster is that he was in the dark. When you walk in darkness, you are controlled by the desires for the soft, warm underbellies of prestige and power and lust.
Call out to your Father and let Him take your hand and run the race set before you.
However, when we are in the dark like the rest of the world, we may feel like the Father has left us. He will never leave us. Feelings lie.
Picture a man in a dark room. He feels a warm, soft fur with one hand and a cold sharp edge with the other, and draws in close to the warmth and softness of the fur. But, when the light goes on, he sees that the warm, soft fur is the underbelly of a horrid, man-eating monster; and the hard, cold edge, is the sword of Christ ready to save. The reason he was controlled by his desire for the man-eating monster is that he was in the dark. When you walk in darkness, you are controlled by the desires for the soft, warm underbellies of prestige and power and lust.
Call out to your Father and let Him take your hand and run the race set before you.
ACTION STEP: Be what you are called to be! Be salt. Be light. When the enemy of our souls tries to blind us, and he will--persevere! Cry out to God. Refuse to waller in your self pity. Get up and forge ahead. Run the race set before you. Be a difference maker. Your Father has never and will never leave you. He is always here and HE believes in You! So, run your race!
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