Tag: Purpose

Worth Your Weight?

Posted on by pastorunity

Christians should be the life of every party.

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When Jesus stood before the crowds gathered on the Mount of Beatitudes and spoke of them being the salt of the earth, they knew that in addition to delaying the decay as a preservative; it meant for them to live as spice in a bland world.

Salt is used as a spice; to enhance the natural flavors of food or add flavor to an otherwise bland meal. For food that was bland or even food that may not have tasted that great, leaving a bitter aftertaste, salt could be added to mask the bad taste or give that bland meal an extra boost. Christians should be fun. Christians should be joyful. A Christian should be able to walk into a room full of down, depressed, disappointed, discouraged, bland, bitter people and provide a blast of mercy, grace, love, forgiveness, joy, peace, and power.

The truth is, there are only two kinds of people in this world; thermometer people and thermostat people. A thermometer reflects the environment’s temperature; it merely reacts to what is going on in a particular room. On the other hand, a thermostat regulates the temperature of the environment; it controls what is going on in a room. Perhaps the reason we have hundreds of churches in this country and yet are seemingly unable to delay the decay is because the majority of those in attendance are thermometer Christians; they are blending into this world and have become gospel useless.  

God calling us salt, means that He has empowered us to be thermostat Christians; Christians that go against the current, oppose the culture, and regulate the environment.

Years ago, I had the privilege to meet a lady who was involved in a terrible car accident, an accident that took her husband, legs, car, dog, and with the medical bills, she also lost her home. The nursing staff at the rehabilitation center told me they moved her into another room almost every day to encourage those who were depressed and discouraged in their recovery from knee and hip surgeries. That was one salty lady! That is the kind of person that God needs to do what He wants to be done in this world.  

I recently read an account of another salty ladyt:

“A distinguished Christian lady was recently spending a few weeks at a hotel at Long Branch, and an attempt was made to induce her to attend a dance, in order that the affair might have prestige bestowed by her presence, as she stood high in society. She declined all the importunities of her friends. Finally, an honorable senator tried to persuade her to attend, saying, “Miss B., this is quite a harmless affair, and we want to have the exceptional honor of your presence.” “Senator,” said the lady, “I cannot do it. I am a Christian. I never do anything during my summer vacation, or wherever I go, that will injure the influence I have over the girls of my Sunday School class.” The senator bowed, and said, “I honor you; if there were more Christians like you, more men like myself would become Christians.” While we don’t have control over being the salt, we hold the shaker and have full control over how salty we remain.

Dr. George Pentecost

My Grandfather used to say he wanted me to grow up to be the kind of man worth his weight in salt.  That is a good question; in the eyes of God, are you worth your weight in salt?

Scripture: “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?  It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet” -Matthew 5:13-14, ESV

Question: If you do an honest evaluation of how you navigate this world, are you a thermostat or thermometer? 

Prayer: Father, please give me the strength to not be conformed to this world but transformed through the renewing of my mind. May I recognize that change to those around me will only come when I allow you to flow through me. Please help me decrease while you increase. Father, I want you to look at my life and say, “well done” may that goal be on my mind today. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

Salty Sailor: Part One

Posted on by pastorunity

God’s Salty Soldier.

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Standing on the Mount of Beatitudes, Jesus had just finished His Sermon on the Mount where He preached eight concise statements of the faith: Blessed are the poor, mourning, meek, hungering and thirsting, merciful, pure, peacemakers, and the persecuted. Then, Jesus said something a little odd and has been discussed by theologians and scholars since, He said, “You are the salt of the earth” (Mt. 5:13a, ESV). Over the next six days, we will discuss aspects of this powerful statement as we look at the purpose of salt, the power in salt, and the problem of salt.

Before we dig into what salt does, let’s unpack the first word Jesus used in His declaration, “You,” which is both emphatic and plural.  What do I mean by emphatic?  Jesus is putting emphasis on this word to highlight and elevate it more than the others.  So, what He is saying is that being the salt is not a choice you have. When you surrender to the cross and become a follower of Jesus Christ, you ARE the salt. The Christian, the true believer, does not just “do” or “give out” love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. When one surrenders to Christ and is named a Child of the King, they BECOME love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness! Don’t miss this. “You are the salt of the earth,” not you can be or should be but ARE.  It is not something you do, something you give, or something you show; it is who you are, who you have been transformed to BE the salt. 

And, this word is plural.  If Jesus preached this in the south, He would say, “Y’all are the salt!” It is plural, meaning when we come together in unity can we accomplish the seemingly impossible task of changing the world. We can’t do this on our own any more than a grain of salt applied to a 50-gallon drum of water can be tasted. This text alone shatters the concept that a Christian does not need the church but can somehow manage through this life alone; staying at home, watching a television evangelist, and live a victorious, Christ-honoring life.  Oh, friend, the word “you” is plural because Jesus designed us to need each other.

As a society, we have become quite proficient in the art of classification, lumping individuals and groups into rooms built with bricks of our preconceived notions and walls of our biases. We tend to gravitate to those as much “like” us as possible and distance ourselves from those we find less commonality. If you look to your neighbor or co-worker, and after evaluation, determine there is nothing they can offer you, you have missed the mark. We must get beyond the superficial, breakthrough our biased, judgmental walls, and get to know them so that we can love them and get to the point where we submit to needing them (Prov. 27:17). Until this happens, you will never realize your full gospel potential.

Lastly, what was salt to the folks in Jesus’ day? It was precious. In fact, in certain times and instances, Roman soldiers were paid in salt. They would work, labor, sweat, bleed, and even fight to risk their very lives and then be paid their wages in salt. It was that precious; even traded for gold-ounce for ounce-during certain times in history. We get our English word salary from the Latin word for salt. What does this mean? Jesus is calling us His salt. We are precious to our Father! Don’t you dare buy into the lie of the devil that you are worthless, defined by your past scares, hurts, decisions, and sins. You may be a nobody, Moses was, he spent 40 years in Egypt learning he was a somebody, 40 years on the backside of the wilderness believing he was a nobody then the next forty years following a God that showed him He could use that nobody. You may be a nobody but consider this: God specializes in taking a nobody, making them a somebody to show everybody that He can do THAT with anybody! You are precious in the eyes of God. You are His Salty Soldier!

Scripture: “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?  It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” -Matthew 5:13-14, ESV

Question: Have you ever considered your value in the eyes of God?

Prayer: Father, please remind me that I am precious in your sight; created for a purpose. Please help me be open to your Word and that over the next few days, may you reveal to me what your purpose is for my life. Thank you for considering me precious, and may your opinion of me encourage me to live my best for you today. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

From Pain to Praise

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What if God wanted us to use our trials to showcase His sufficiency?

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We generally don’t have a choice when it comes to pain and suffering invading our lives, causing tears to flow, nights marked with restlessness, and if we’re not careful, leaving our minds full of doubt, spirits bitter, and souls unsatisfied. While we don’t have a choice over some of the trials that knock on the door to our lives, we do choose how we greet that trial. I have come to believe that trials are the stage upon which Christians either present to the watching audience a crippled and defeated life or one that showcases Jesus as more than enough. 

A few years ago, my secretary put a call through to my office. On the other end was a church member that had heard of a lady involved in a horrible car accident that took her husband’s life, and had been transferred to the local nursing home for rehabilitation. With no details, other than the potential to find someone that was discouraged and depressed, I made my way out to visit. On the way, I spent time in prayer, asking God to use me to introduce this lady to the Lord or to encourage her faith. I was not prepared for what I found upon entering that room.

When I entered her room, I found a bright-eyed owner of one of those “light up a room” smiles! I thought I had the wrong place. Nope. After a few minutes, I found out that in one tragic car accident, she had lost her husband, her legs, her dog, her car, and even her house, as the money from the sale of it was used to pay for her medical bills. Almost in tears after hearing her tragic story, I asked if I could pray for her, to which she replied something like, “I am fine! I still have my Jesus, and He is enough. Let’s pray together for all of the hurting and lonely folks in this nursing home.” Wow! But that is not even the best part of the story. After I left that room, I went to the nurse’s station to ask how long she would be at the facility and to make my intention of future visits known. The nurse told me to check at the information desk before each visit because she was never in the same room. Do you know why? The nursing staff moved her from room to room to encourage other patients who were depressed after having knee and hip replacement surgeries!

Every one of over 4,000 religions in our world looks to suffering as an inconvenience that should be avoided, prayed away, or as punishment for a past life of sin. Only Christianity offers a purpose for our suffering; that it “produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-4, ESV). Again, trials are the stage upon which Christians present to the watching audience a crippled and defeated life or one that showcases Jesus as more than enough.

When I visited that dear saint, I was but 30 years old and relatively healthy. Since then, I have been diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, had five shoulder surgeries, one back surgery, and am currently on a three-month leave of absence for high blood pressure and other issues. What I learned from that Gloria over twenty years ago was how we respond when trials enter our lives, determines our faith growth rate, and what kind of an impact we will have on others. The next time circumstance invades and disrupts your life, remember the stage is set for you to present a God of power and peace to this world; the question is, are you willing to fill that role with passion and purpose?

Scripture: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. -James 1:2-4, ESV

Question: The next time a trial comes into your life, instead of praying it away or griping about how miserable you are, would you be willing to use it as an opportunity to showcase the sufficiency of God?

Prayer: Father, please help me to spend less time praying trials away and more time realizing you have a purpose for every circumstance that comes my way. If trials are your way of growing my faith, producing steadfastness, and conforming me into the image of your Son, then bring the rain. I want my life to make a difference, so please give me the faith and strength to persevere, and I will provide you with a heart of willingness. Thank you for loving me, and thank you for using me to share your power and purpose in this world. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

The Giver

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God uses both friend and foe to take care of His children.

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I once heard a preacher tell a story of a godly older lady that happened to live next door to an aggressive atheist. Every morning this lady would stand on her front porch, greeting the day with shouts of acclamation and praise. And, every morning the man next door would mock her, shouting over the row of bushes that divided their properties with statements like, “You are praising a God that isn’t there!” and “You crazy old bat, God does not exist, you’re talking to yourself!”. Even through the persecution, she continued her routine over the years, refusing to let man’s doubts shake her faith.  After one long and challenging season, filled with a loss of income, and some health issues, this dear lady found herself with no groceries. That particular morning she stood on her porch, praying aloud, “Father, you know I have no groceries and am hungry, yet I trust you, I believe in you, and I am asking that you provide”. As usual, her neighbor overheard her laments and considered this to be the perfect opportunity to prove her faith was folly, so he started scheming. That morning he went to the grocery store, purchased enough groceries to meet her needs for a solid month, placed them on her front porch, rang the bell, hid behind the bushes, and waited. When she opened her front door and saw the bags of groceries, she immediately went to praising God. Jumping from the bushes, her atheist neighbor shouted as he approached her porch, “You foolish woman, I bought those groceries, not God!”. When the older lady heard her neighbor, she took off running down the sidewalk, her praises seemingly fueled by her atheist neighbor’s confession. She was running around the neighborhood, praising God for His provisions even louder and more passionate than before! Her neighbor, infuriated by her seeming inability to understand his trick, stopped her and asked, “Do you not understand that it was ME who bought you those groceries?” to which she replied, “Why yes, I understand.” The neighbor was even more confused and asked, “Then why do you keep praising God when I bought them”  “Because” she replied, “I think it is awesome that God provided me with the groceries and even made the devil pay for them!”.

Looking to the life of the Apostle Paul, we can see a man provided for by God through many people; some friends and some foes, yet God was behind it all, and Paul recognized this through his praise (Phil. 1:3, Rom. 1:8, I Cor. 1:4). Paul knew that even the very ones responsible for his arrest and imprisonment, God would use for His glory, therefore, worthy of his praise. This ideal could not be more exemplified than in the story found in Joseph’s life in the Old Testament. Joseph, thrown into a pit and sold into slavery by his own brothers, stood as the second most powerful man in the known world years later when those very same brothers approached him asking for food through the famine. Joseph did not exact vengeance upon them but rescued them in their hour of need. Joseph comforted his brothers by saying, “you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” (Gen. 50:20, ESV). His words to them reveal an understanding; God uses both friend and foe to bring us closer to Him, make us stronger in Him, and be used more for Him.

We must never forget there is no struggle between good and evil; good will always prevail because God will always be God. While we will never be able to trace God’s hand, we can always trust His heart. And, while it is impossible to figure out “how” God does what He does, we can always trust that God knows what is best for our lives and is a genius at using the foolish things of this world to confuse the wise (I Cor. 1:27).  

Perhaps we don’t really have “enemies” in this world, only tools used in the hands of The Giver to help shape us into the image of His Son.

Scripture: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people.” -I Timothy 2:1, ESV

Question: How about you? Do you struggle when the voices of opposition rise over your praise? Or when those against you mock the power within you? 

Prayer: Father, there seems to be a growing army of opposition toward Christians in our culture. People are against me on social media, mocking me at work, angry that I am a Christian. Please help me see that you are either allowing or sending these people into my life for a purpose. I ask not for understanding, but the faith to believe, the courage to walk the path, the strength to overcome each obstacle, and the love as I face all people, recognizing they are part of your plan for my life. Thank you for knowing what is best, and thank you for your provisions, no matter how they arrive. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.