Daily Devotional: Monday, August 19 – Salt & Light

“You’re the salt of the earth. But when the salt loses its saltiness, how can it’s made salty once more? It’s not good for something, besides to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” — Matthew 5:13

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Highschool scrimmages and regular-season video games sometimes choose again up in August. As gamers get again within the rhythm of their sport, it isn’t unusual for them get cramps as they prepare. We’ve seen gamers mendacity on the sector in ache till they get some electrolytes — basically salt minerals — in them. In excessive circumstances, gamers are given IV fluids if they’ve main dehydration points. Staying on the sector for peak efficiency is so vital to gamers at each degree, so coaches and trainers continually remind gamers to hydrate correctly.

For gamers in addition to followers, salt is a crucial a part of our weight loss program. Salt can provide enhanced taste to our meals, and it’s really good for our well being so long as we don’t soak up an excessive amount of of it. Meals was preserved with salt for hundreds of years earlier than fridges had been invented. Within the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus used salt and several other different acquainted objects to emphasise the significance of Christians being an excellent instance in our neighborhood. “You’re the salt of the earth. But when the salt loses its saltiness, how can it’s made salty once more? It’s not good for something, besides to be thrown out and trampled underfoot (Matthew 5:13).

Despite the fact that Jesus is the one one who all the time was an excellent mannequin for dwelling, we should always set Godly requirements and attempt to reside based on them.

Within the midst of His lengthy sequence of teachings about every day dwelling, Jesus spoke about making use of what we consider by backing up our phrases with constant actions. If we are saying we worship God, then we shouldn’t be drawing consideration to ourselves (Matthew 6:5-6). In different phrases, our non-public prayers are extra vital than our public prayers as a result of prayer is communication with God and shouldn’t be used to impress individuals.

Jesus additionally spoke about real, lasting love for our fellow human beings by difficult us to like all people and never simply our favourite individuals. “You’ve gotten heard that it was stated, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ However I inform you, love your enemies and pray for individuals who persecute you, that you could be be kids of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:43-45).

As Jesus closed His feedback on one of the best ways to reside, He spoke about constructing our lives on one thing stable and dependable for now and eternity. “Due to this fact everybody who hears these phrases of mine and places them into observe is sort of a clever man who constructed his home on the rock. The rain got here down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat in opposition to that home; but it didn’t fall, as a result of it had its basis on the rock” (Matthew 7:24-25). We must always take the phrases of Jesus to coronary heart as a result of the whole lot else is like sinking sand.

As we go in regards to the week forward, allow us to do not forget that we’re the salt and lightweight of the world. We now have the privilege of displaying God’s like to the world — let’s not waste it.

— Invoice Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Georgia

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