Let's Get Salty!

Dear Friends,

This past Sunday, our church joined with churches around the world to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior. It was a great day, as we enjoyed wonderful worship, followed by a congregational meal. It truly was a day of celebrating the hope we have because of our resurrected Savior, and my wife and I came home tired, but encouraged by all that we had seen God do.

However, that was Sunday and today is Wednesday - and unfortunately, I already feel the message of hope, and life, and forgiveness from Easter fading into the background as I move into the routine of my week. I don’t think I’m alone in this - probably most of us are packing up Easter decorations, throwing out leftover candy, and focusing on the tasks of this week.

I know without a doubt that this is not what God has for us. He sent His Son to die for us so that we might have new life - including a new, resurrected way to live . So, what would it look like to live a “resurrected life” each and every day? Well, as I pondered that this morning, my first thought was that it would look a lot like living how Jesus would if He was here, living my life. So that means the real question is, if Jesus was living our lives - what would He do?

There are all sorts of answers to that question, and a lot of them depend on our individual situations. But the answer that stood out to me today that I think applies to all of us is found in Matthew 5:13-16, where Jesus tells us: “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world - like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

In these verses, Jesus tells us we are “salt” and “light”. One is a substance that permeates and transforms food, and the other does the same to darkness. So, what Jesus is saying is that we are to “permeate and transform” the environment God has placed us in. In other words, like Jesus did, we are to live our daily lives in such a way that we have an impact on the people around us for God and His Kingdom.

Now, I don’t know about you, but when I think of living my daily life that way, it can feel a little intimidating. It’s much easier to just focus on the tasks I have to do and hope I can get through the day without sinning. But that’s not what God calls us to, and it’s not why He sent His Son to give us new life. Instead, we’re to live fully alive, and fully for Him.

So how do we do that? The answer is pretty simple: we rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. God gave us His Spirit to fully equip us to live how He wants us to live. So as we go through the day, we prayerfully ask Him to guide us by His Spirit - to give us the words to say, the attitudes to have, and the actions to take. If we do that, God will be faithful to help us live as the salt and light that He calls us to be.

So today, let’s not let the power of the Easter message fade into the background as we get back into our daily routines. Instead, let’s remember that we have been given resurrected life, and that we can use that life to be salt and light to this tasteless and dark world around us.

Amen?

Daniel