The influence you have
Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand! Luke 14:33-35
As God’s disciples, you are called by God to be His preserving agents in a world that is deteriorating and ruined because of sin. Part of your purpose as a child of God is to enrich a community and to preserve what is good and right. The life of Christ that is in you makes this possible so that through you He becomes available to others. Remember how He changed your life which He could do to others as well. His offer of new life can help someone to be freed from addiction, mend a broken relationship, heal the hurt because of the past experience, return an errant child, and provide comfort to a grieving heart. All of this can take place because you lived out the life of Christ and made an influence to those around you. Once you forget who you are in Christ, you lose the opportunity to be an influence for His name’s sake. Jesus said you are like salt that has lost its saltiness and is, therefore, good for nothing. You lose the opportunity to show the glory of God. This is what God has called you to live for. “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:16). How do you know if you are losing the “saltiness” of your life? Are you preserving your home from the destructive influences that are waiting to destroy it? In your workplace, can you see your positive influence on how others deal with sinful living because you are there? In your church involvement, is there evidence that God is using you influencing the people around you spiritually? God’s admonition is for you to listen and understand when He speaks. He wants that your life will reflect who He is. If people around you are continually deteriorating spiritually, you need to go to the Lord and allow Him to change your life so that you can be “salty” again and influence others to be drawn more closely to God.
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman Westside Baptist Church Los Angeles, CA