HOW SALTY ARE YOU?

“You are the salt of the earth…”
(Matthew 5:13)

Jesus often spoke in metaphors to drive home his point.  “Salt” is one of those word-pictures Jesus used to illustrate the influence and impact of Christians on our society.  There are three distinct uses of salt; each indicating a different way Christians influence the world in which we live.

First, salt was used as a preservative in ancient days.  Before refrigeration, salt was used to preserve food.  It was rubbed into meat and fish to prevent it from spoiling and decaying.  As Christians rub shoulders with other people in society, our righteousness has a preserving factor – preventing further decay and deterioration of our culture.

Second, salt adds flavor to food.  “Pass the salt” is commonly heard at the dinner table, because we don’t like to eat food that tastes bland.  So, to add a little flavor we shake some salt on the food.  Again, as Christians, our very presence adds a little flavor (love, joy, peace, etc.) in society – at home, at work, at school, in our neighborhoods, and in our communities.

And third, salt creates thirst.  I like to eat a few potato chips once-in-a-while, especially while watching football games.  But when I eat chips, I also like to drink a soda with them.  Why?  Because the salt on the chips makes me thirsty.  As Christians, our lives should also make other people thirsty for the One who gives abundant life – Jesus Christ.

How salty are you?

Heavenly Father,
You are the source of life and You give my life meaning and purpose.
You flood my soul with the fruit of Your Holy Spirit – love, joy, and peace.
May my everyday life be a reflection of Your life in me.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

SURVIVING MY SCHEDULE

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”
(Proverbs 16:9) 

Do you ever wake up in the morning and wonder, “How am I going to get everything done today?”  Do you ever ask yourself at the end of the day, “Where in the world has all my time gone?”  Well, I have an answer for you.  U.S. News & World Report suggested that the average American will spend

- 6 years eating
- 5 years waiting in line
- 4 years doing housework or repairs
- 2 years unsuccessfully returning phone calls
- 1 year looking for misplaced objects
- 8 months opening junk mail
- 6 months sitting at stop lights

And that doesn’t even include the biggies – like sleeping, working, and television.  It’s no wonder we’re so stressed out about our time and our schedules. 

Ah, but technology has come to our rescue.  Right?  We have laptop computers, cell phones, pda’s, blackberries, and all sorts of gadgets to simplify our lives.  Truthfully, technology probably complicates our lives more than it simplifies it.  We just have more to do and we take it with us everywhere we go.  There seems to be no escape.

So, how do we survive our busy and stressful schedules today?  The Bible gives us some very good suggestions.  Here are three…

- Line up your priorities (focus on what’s really important)
- Lighten up your attitude (don’t take yourself so seriously)
- Look up to the Lord (include Sabbath in your life)

You may be thinking, “I don’t have time for Sabbath in my schedule.”  I would suggest just the opposite – you can’t afford to neglect Sabbath.  When you put the Lord first in your life, He will help align the rest of your day!

Heavenly Father,
You are an infinite and eternal God.
But I am finite and limited by time and space.
I confess that in my busyness I have neglected Sabbath.
I want to restore Sabbath in my life and spend more time with You.
I need Your help in ordering my priorities each day.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.