From Dream to Deliverance
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
My Prayer Today
Dear Jesus, I come before You today and I ask that You would grant me the grace to live right before You and before others. I do not want to fall into sin and temptation, but I do want to be delivered from the evil one. I ask that You would help me to be salt to others and give flavor to their lives by my example and lifestyle. I do not want to lose my saltiness with people. Forgive me in any area if I have done this already. I ask that You would increase my saltiness in all things. I ask this in Your name. . . Amen.
God's Word For Me Today
Matthew 5:13-16
13 "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make salt useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. 14 You are the light of the world -- like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. 15 Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. 16 In the same way, let you good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."
Reflecting on God’s Word
According to verse 13, what is the image that Jesus gives to explain our Christian witness?
Is salt any good if it has lost its flavor? Why or why not?
What does Jesus say will happen to useless salt?
A Deeper Exploration of God’s Word
Jesus says in verse 13 that when salt is useless, "it will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless" -- what does He mean by this?
What does it mean for a Christian to "lose their saltiness?"
How does a Christian "lose their saltiness?"
Understanding God’s Word
If a Christian loses their saltiness, what does Jesus say will happen? What is the implication?
Is it important that a Christian maintain their witness? Why?
If a Christian loses their witness through a moral failure of some type, can their witness be restored? Why?
Applying God’s Word to Our Lives
How is your Christian witness maintained?
What is one thing you can do today to keep your witness strong?
If you have failed in a specific area, what is one thing you can do to help restore your testimony? Can your witness be completely restored to those in whom you have failed? How?
Thoughts...
There is nothing like a good juicy steak that has plenty of flavor! On the contrary, there is nothing worse than eating food that does not have much taste. It is almost like eating a piece of cardboard. One of the main things that makes a difference in food is the presence of salt. Salt has the ability to give flavor to food. It has the ability to turn a bland meal into a feast. Jesus says in Matthew 5:13 that we are the salt of the world. In other words, we as Christians help to give flavor to those who are around us every day. We share the new life of Jesus Christ with people by the way we live, act, and talk. We are to our unsaved friends what salt is to a piece of steak -- we give flavor!
Jesus, however, gives a very directed warning to all of us. He said, "but what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless." Jesus is simply saying that a Christian without an effective witness is as useless as salt that has lost its saltiness. How does a Christian "lose their saltiness?" We can lose our saltiness by failing to heed God's word and living a life that is bankrupt morally. When we live in sin, in anger, in lust, in pride, we have lost our saltiness. There have been many Christians who have lost their saltiness by one major mistake and fall into sin. Friends, once we lose our saltiness with people it is almost impossible to regain it. We as Christians must seek to live in a way that pleases God at all times. Take time today to ask God how you can give flavor to someone else's life (become a "saltine").