God's Crockpot of Faith

Simple Tastes

I’m a dude with very simple tastes. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy going out to a nice restaurant from time to time with cloth napkins and servers who tuck their shirts in.

But there are few things better than the aroma of dinner slowly cooking in the crockpot all day long. The smell from the kitchen makes my heart soar and my stomach roar. I know the end result is going to be tender and delicious.

Time Is on Your Side

There’s just one catch with the good ol’ crock. I’ve gotta wait. When it comes to time, there’s no doubt microwaves, instapots, air fryers, and the good ol’ as-seen-on-TV bamboo steamer are the jam. 

But let’s face food facts, my friends. They may cook faster but they don’t cook better. If you want something scrumptious, think crockpot. That’s because the Rolling Stones are right. Time is on our side. 

Worth the Wait

And that’s the key technique in God’s recipe for disciple-making. Time. As the Almighty Creator of the universe, He can do what He wants, when He wants, and how He wants. 

But His tried and truth way of building faith in His followers takes time. Call it God’s Crockpot of Faith. It’s worth the wait. Every. Single. Time.

A Guy Named James

That’s exactly what a guy named James is talking about in the opening lines of a letter he wrote to believers back in the First Century. 

“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).

Instead of avoiding them, see tough times as a good thing. There’s nothing like them to grow your trust in God. But it’s gonna take a while. In the end, you’ll be glad you did. The Lord will use it to transform you into the person He created you to be.

The Kid Brother of Jesus

Before we dig in, I think it’s a good idea to know just who it is writing these words. Who in the Wide World of Sports has the gall to say all this? 

So glad you asked. James just happens to be the kid brother of Jesus. How do we know? First of all, a couple of Christ biographers tell us He had a brother by that name (Mt 13:55; Mk 6:3). 

When Your Big Brother Is the Son of God

But the Lord’s human family thought their oldest Son was…umm…what’s the best way to put this? Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs (Mk 3:21).

It wasn’t until AFTER Jesus came strolling out of the cemetery that James finally believed that His big Brother is actually the sinless Son of God. Paul specifically lists him as seeing the risen Savior (1Cor 15:7).

A Top Dog at the Home Office

James quickly went from serious doubter to servant leader in the church at Jerusalem. Various writers of the New Testament consistently mention him as one of the top dogs at the home office (Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18; Gal 1:19; 2:9, 12). 

As one of the folks at the front of the faith, James sat down and wrote what many to believe the very first document of what we call the New Testament. There’s a good chance he put his pen to paper not long after 40 AD. That’s less than ten years after the resurrection!

Tough Sledding for the First Followers

It was incredibly tough sledding for those first followers of Jesus. Remember, even the Apostle Paul was the Assassin Saul before the resurrected Christ ambushed him on the way to a black ops assignment to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9).

A quick read of Acts makes it clear the early believers faced all sorts of active resistance everywhere they went. Arrests, beatings, floggings, stonings, and even assassinations. And we complain when our latte is lukewarm.

What We Need

It’s easy to think these things are terrible and would cause a ton of the faithful to fall away. Think again. James says tough times are just what Jesus’ followers need to deepen their trust in Him.

It’s God’s crockpot of faith.

Right out of the Chute

“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).

Yup, there it is. Right out of the chute. Jesus’ little brother doesn’t pussyfoot around when it comes to pain. In the opening lines of his letter, he lets us know that trials and troubles are on the way. 

But back up the truck. “Count it all joy” (v2). Really?!? Come on, dude. Are you telling me I should throw a party complete with confetti and balloons when life takes a hard left turn?

Let’s Take a Quick Walk

Would you do me a solid? I think a quick walk through these words in the original Greek would be a huge help. Ready? Here we go. 

A Coach in Crunch Time

“Count it” (Gr. hegeomai/‘ηγεομα) is a verb which means to make a leadership decision after weighing all the facts. You’ve looked at the whole situation and have determined what to do…even when it’s hard. ESPECIALLY when it’s hard!

Think of a coach who’s called time out during crunch time. He calls tells his team what to do once he’s considered all the different options. Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do…

The Whole Enchilada

Then there’s “all” (Gr. pas/πας). Depending on how you use it, it can mean full, supreme, every, each. The whole enchilada. As the saying goes, “all” means all and that’s all “all” means.

I went to public school and was no math major but counting it all isn’t exactly calculus. We need to take into account every single thing that happens in our lives. Nothing is left out. Count. It. ALL.

Joy versus Happiness

Which leads us to “joy” (Gr. chara/χαρα). BUT counting all these trials as joy does NOT mean we’re happy about it. 

This is probably as much about what it is NOT as what it is. While happiness and joy are similar, they aren’t the same thing.

What It Is and What It’s Not 

First, what joy it’s not. Happiness is based on happenings. It’s the feeling we get from what’s going down here and now. Because of that, happiness is like cotton candy. Shows up quickly and disappears just like that.

Now, what it is. Joy is that deeper, enduring sense that God wants His best for us and everything will be better because of Him. By trusting that He not only loves us but is in complete control of the whole deal, nothing can steal our joy. And I mean nothing.

Brothers and Sisters

At this point, James refers to his readers as “my brothers” (v2). Don’t worry. He’s not just talking to the guys. You can just as easily translate the original language here as “my brothers and sisters.”

Do you remember who Jim’s big Brother is? That’s right. None other than our Lord. Sure seems like the guy who probably shared a room with the Son of God wants us to realize we have the same relationship with our Savior.

Our Brother Jesus

What the WHAT?!? Jesus is OUR Big Brother? Yup. The resurrected Christ tells His team that they are His brothers (Mt 25:40).

In the Great Chapter 8 of Romans, Paul refers to Jesus as “the first born among many brothers” (Rom 8:32). And in Hebrews we read that He is not ashamed to call us His brothers (Heb 2:11).

The Best Big Brother 

He’s the best big brother we can ever imagine. He will NEVER pick on you. He’ll also protect you from any bully that tries to push you around. 

Editor’s note: As a big brother myself, I can promise you that my younger siblings didn’t get this sort of brotherly love from yours truly. 

Not If but When

Okay, back to God’s crockpot of faith. Jimmy tells the followers of Jesus to find the joy “when you meet trials of various kinds” (v2).

Did you notice that he said “when?” Not if. But when. This is the Greek hotan/‘οταν. It not only means every time something happens, but as soon as it does, you’re ready for it.

There’s both an immediacy and expectancy to it. It’s knowing what you’re going to do ahead of time! You’re not caught off guard. You may not know exactly what will happen, but you’re ready for something.

A Sudden Encounter

That’s kind of a big deal since we don’t know which, when, how, and what’s around the corner. I’m not crazy about translating the original language here as “meet.” It’s not exactly like bumping into an old buddy at Starbucks.

The Greek verb here is peripipto/περιπιπτω. It paints a picture of suddenly encountering something difficult or bad or abruptly come into a tough situation that you didn’t see coming.

An Ambush

It literally means “to fall into the middle of” with the idea of being surrounded with no way out. Think of an ambush. Being blindsided. 

It’s only used two other times in the entire New Testament. A quick flip over to those verses will show you what I mean.

Mugged and Run aground

In the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus describes how a dude was on his way from Jerusalem to Jericho when “he fell (Gr. peripipto/περιπιπτω) among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead (Lk 10:30).

When Paul was on his way to Rome, the ship he was on ran aground after “striking (Gr. peripipto/περιπιπτω) a reef” (Acts 27:41). 

Jumped by muggers. Slamming into a reef. Certainly things you didn’t put on your to-do list before leaving home this morning. 

The Divine Department of Quality Assurance

James certainly doesn’t put a limit on the kind of stuff that can catch us by surprise. It can be “various kinds of trials” (v2). In other words, it can be anything. Ready or not, here they come!

What exactly are these so-called “trials?” Well, the Greek word here (Gr. peripasmos/περιπασμος) is a little tricky. It can either mean a positive test or a negative temptation.

Whether it’s good or bad, it’s a period of testing in order to learn the quality of someone or something. Like a stress test. It’s straight from the Divine Department of Quality Assurance. 

Genuine Faith

Jesus’ younger brother lets us in on the reason we should not just joyfully expect hard times but welcome them into our lives. “For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (v3).

Jimbo uses a different word to describe this kind of “testing.” The Greek noun dokimion/δοκιμιον is all about a means of testing or proving the genuineness of something.

Tested by Fire

It only shows up one other time in the Bible. Over in Peter’s first letter, the apostle Jesus nicknamed Rocky makes a VERY similar statement to what we see here in James.

“In this your rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness (Gr. dokimion/δοκιμιον) of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1Pet 1:6-7).

The Real Deal?

The only way to know if our faith in Jesus is legit is by putting it under pressure. Is my trust in Him the real deal? It’s one thing to place my faith in Christ when life is good, the sky is blue, and I’m catching every green light along the way.

But what happens when the fecal matter hits the whirling machine? How does my trust in Jesus hold up then? How do I react when I’m blindsided by life, ambushed by health, or mugged by work? THAT’S when my faith is exposed.

A Pandemic Punch in the Gut

That’s where a lot of us are right now. I’m writing this as the world is months into the coronavirus pandemic that has punched the people of our planet in the gut. Millions sick. Hundreds of thousands dead. Thirty six million Americans unemployed.

COVID-19 is certainly testing my faith. God has blessed me and my family with health, and for that I am incredibly grateful. But I was furloughed a couple of weeks ago after 40 years with my company.

Wobbling Faith

Being without a job was nothing I saw coming just a couple of months ago. While I hate that it’s happened, each day I have to remind myself that He will never let me go no matter what happens.

I’ve wobbled a few times. And while I hope I don’t, I fully expect it to wobble again. And again. 

Faithfulness That Never Fails

The bad news is that our faith is going to crack and crumble at some point. But here’s the better news. God’s faithfulness NEVER fails. “If we are faithless, He remains faithful” (2Tim 2:13).

His faithfulness never fails. He ALWAYS comes through when the chips are down. He ALWAYS passes the test with flying colors. 

Gutsy Waiting

But Jesus’ way of building our faith in His faithfulness is through “steadfastness” (Gr. hupomone/‘υπομονη). This is patient endurance, perseverance, and fortitude. I like to think of it as gutsy waiting. 

It’s actually a compound word that describes staying in place and remaining under something difficult. Steadfastness is brave and calm endurance while remaining right where you are.

Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide

I love how the Message paraphrases this. “You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors” (v3 The Message). These tests expose us. They expose our trust in Jesus. There’s nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

When it all goes down, “let steadfastness have its full effect” (v4). Welcome to the hardest part. The longer we hang in there, the stronger our faith in God grows. 

For Faith That Lasts, It Won’t Be Fast

He doesn’t pop our trust into the microwave for a couple of minutes and get what we want. He drops it into His trusty Crockpot of Faith and get what we need. It’s gonna take time. 

Trust me. I would absolutely wish He could nuke my trust quickly. But He simply doesn’t work that way. For a faith that will last, it won’t be fast.

Full Effect

I recently heard Andy Stanley teach on this truth. He sums it up this way. “Lord, use this until you choose to remove this.” 

In other words, we must let God’s Crockpot of Faith have its full effect.

Achieving His Purpose

James says simmering in the Lord’s slow cooker is the only way “you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (v4).

Don’t take this the wrong way. You and I won’t reach perfection. Not on this side of eternity anyway. The meaning here is that we’ll be full developed and mature. 

Jimmy wants us to know that when it’s all said and done, God will have achieved His purpose for what He sent our way. His goal has been reached. 

Everything We Need

We’ll also be “complete” (v4). In other words, we’ll be whole. He’ll make sure that we have everything we needed to gain from the process. Nothing He hoped to accomplish in us will be missing.

Just in case we missed his point, the author doubles down on the idea that there’s nothing God has missed when we come out of His Crockpot of Faith. We’ll be “lacking in nothing” (v4).

We won’t need a single, stinking thing that He wanted us to have. Zip. Zilch. Zero. Nada. Nothing. Nill. The Big Goose Egg. 

Letting Us Simmer

It’s never easy when the various trials of life blindside us. But we should expect them. We need lean into them. Why? Because the Lord is up to something in our lives. 

We may wish He would just zap our trust in a microwave. Instead He lets us simmer in His Crockpot of Faith.

©2020

Jay Jennings

Spreading Salt

 Salting the Roads

If you live in an area where it snows, you know all about salt trucks. When the forecast calls for frozen precip, the folks at the DOT are out spraying a salty brine on the highways. After the snow falls, they’re back on the road spreading salt.

Road crews do this to improve driving conditions. Snow and ice cause us to slip and slide. The next thing you know we’re spinning out of control. Salt on the road helps us get a grip and keeps us out of the ditch.

Salting our Food

When it comes to cooking, many chefs insists that salt is their important ingredient. Sure, doctors want us to limit our sodium but it does have it’s place when. When we use it properly, it can bring out the flavor of the food.

Now if you’re hoping we’re about to take a deep dive into Himalayan salt, I’m sorry to disappoint you. But I certainly won’t stop you from reading this by the light of your salt lamp.

The Importance of Salt

On more than one occasion, Jesus also talks about the importance of salt. One of those in the Gospel of Mark. In a conversation with the disciples at their home office in Capernaum, Christ encourages His followers to fill up with salt and keep spreading it and shaking it wherever they go (Mk 9:49-50).

A LOT of Different Opinions

Okay, all cards on the table. Bible experts have been wrestling with these words of the Lord for a couple of thousand years. I’m not going to pretend to have some amazing new breakthrough here.

Some even believe John Mark went rogue and added these two verses on his own. I guess that’s possible. The only problem with that idea is Jesus actually said most of this salt talk in other Gospels (Mt 5:13; Lk 14:34-35). So there’s that.

So there are a LOT of different opinions and interpretations about what the Messiah means. We probably won’t know completely on this side of eternity. But let’s give it a shot together. You with me? Great. Here we go.

Who Is Jesus?

We’re a little over halfway through Mark’s bio of Jesus. A big theme of the first half is the true identity of the Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth. Right out of the chute, the author tells us, “This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God” (Mk 1:1).

From there, Mark let’s the Hero of his story do His messianic thing while everybody else tries to wrap their heads around who He is. (By the way, big thanks to the people at the Bible Project for their breakdown of Mark’s Gospel. For more, go to https://thebibleproject.com/.)

The first eight chapters take place in Galilee as Jesus teaches, heals, and performs crazy miracles. Along the way, both His followers and foes wonder who He is. Trust me, there’s no lack of speculation.

Not That Kind of Messiah

That all changes when Jesus asks His personal posse for their take. Peter finally puts the pieces of the puzzle together. “You are the Messiah” (Mk 8:29). Our Savior confirms Pete’s conclusion but rocks the disciples’ world by saying He’s NOT the kind of Messiah anyone expects.

He’s come to serve us through rejection, suffering, and dying (Mk 8:31). Oh, and don’t forget the resurrection part. You don’t want to miss that. The Lord doubles down on His prediction of dying and rising from the dead a second time (Mk 9:31).

A Sneak Peek of Glory

Sandwiched in between is a wild story about the time Jesus takes His inner circle of Peter, James, and John for a mountain meetup with Moses and Elijah, two the OTs power players (Mk 9:2-13). While they’re on the peak, the Savior gives the guys a sneak peek of His glory. If that’s enough, God the Father gives His Son the ultimate attaboy.

A Staff Meeting

Back home in Capernaum, Jesus pulls the Twelve together for one last staff meeting before hitting the road one last time (Mk 9:38-50). There are just a few important points He needs to make before heading south to Jerusalem.

Big time Bible guy Albert Barnes breaks it down for us. First, the Son of Man teaches His team that others who aren’t part of the Dirty Dozen might also be His followers (Mk 9:38-39). Second, we’re to give other folks the benefit of the doubt that they’ve put their trust in Christ if we see the slightest evidence (Mk 9:41).

Third, we must handle with care anyone with a fragile faith (Mk 9:42). Fourth, we need to take drastic measures to remove anything that gets in our way of spending eternity with Jesus (Mk 9:43-48).

Our Savior’s Salty Language

Which brings us to our Savior’s salty language. No, the sinless Son of God doesn’t start cussing like a sailor. I’m guessing the commercial fishermen on His crew can do that without any coaching.

“For everyone will be tested with fire. Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other” (v49-50).

Who Is Everyone?

One of the questions about what Jesus is saying in these verses is just WHO the heck is the “everyone” here in verse 49? Theologians have been scratching their heads over that one for a couple of thousand years.

Who do I think they are? Sorry but you won’t catch me throwing a bunch of Bible experts under the bus on this one. Is it just Jesus’ followers? I’m going to guess that “everyone” might just mean…well…everyone.

Smoking or Nonsmoking?

In other words, how each of us respond to the fire will determine our eternal direction. Smoking or nonsmoking? As Mark Driscoll likes to say, “Hell is hot and forever is a long time.”

But the identity of “everyone” is not a hill I’m ready to die on. One thing I do know, our eternity IS a hill Jesus was willing to die on for you and me. And that’s a VERY good thing! He lived the life we failed to live. He died the death we should have died. He rose to new life we don’t deserve.

Salted with Fire

Here’s a little something this verse we don’t see in the NLT. The word they translate

“tested” (Gr. ‘αλιζο/halizo) actually means to salt, sprinkle with salt, cause something to taste salty, season, or restore flavor.

A LOT of translations actually read that folks can expect to “be salted with fire” (KJV, NIV, NASB, ESV, NRS, CEV, HCSB, NET, ASV, emphasis added). We’re not saying the NLT is wrong. As a matter of fact, it provides a little color to Christ’s words.

A Saltshaker-Flamethrower

What in the wide world of sports is Jesus talking about? Is this some sort of saltshaker-flamethrower 2-in-1 combo? While that bad boy might come in handy at your next cookout, the Lord has something else in mind.

Jesus Predicts Fire

Pardon me while I nerd out on a little grammar here. The Greek verb ‘αλιζο/halizo is actually future passive indicative tense. Future simply means it WILL happen. Passive tells us will happen TO you. Indicative describes an objective fact (in other words, this is NOT a command). You can take it to the bank.

So what’s Jesus predicting? When He says “tested with fire” (v49), Jesus appears to mean that the suffering we experience will make us that much more effective in our community.

Turning up the Heat

It seems pretty clear that there are plenty of times when God turns up the heat in our lives. But wait a minute. If He’s so good, why would He do that to us? So glad you asked. It’s actually BECAUSE of His goodness that He raises the temp.

We need to remember that God’s use of discipline is actually a sure sign of His love. The wisest dude who ever walked the planet puts it this way. “My child, don’t reject the LORD’s discipline, and don’t be upset when He corrects you. For the LORD corrects those He loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights” (Prov 3:11-12).

A Divine Autoclave

Throughout the various documents of both the Old and New Testament, spiritual fire both cleanses and preserves. It’s like a divine autoclave that purges the stuff that both does harm and wastes our time from our lives.

In a letter to fellow believers, Peter writes, “Don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in His suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing His glory when it is revealed to all the world” (1Pet 4:12).

Bitter or Better

It’s how we react to the heat of heaven that’s the determining factor. There’s an old saying, “The same sun that melts the ice, hardens the clay.” God’s fire of discipline will either make us bitter or better. What’s it gonna be?

We need to remember that He’s making us holy, not making us happy. The Lord never promises an easy life on this side of eternity. Don’t make the mistake of thinking a following Jesus means nothing but rainbows, herds of unicorns, and endless supply of Skittles.

God’s Blast Furnace

Allow pain and suffering to humble you. It results in brokenness. You see, humility has a way of opening doors to 

those around us. Folks really don’t need someone who has all the answers. Believers are simply beggars who’ve figured out where to get the Bread.

You can bet those who are ON fire for Jesus have been THROUGH the fire. That’s because they know He’s with them in the middle of the flames. Just ask Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Dan 3:24-25). Let God’s blast furnace make you better.

Not Too Attached

Some of you may be wondering how we went from talking about salt to fire. What’s the connection? Well, some of our Bibles include the tag “and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.”

I hope you’re not too attached to that phrase. Chances are that it wasn’t in the original version of Mark’s bio of Jesus. Somebody dropped it in later to help explain what’s going on here.

God’s Flaming Grill

Christ is actually connecting His words to the instructions God gave Moses about temple worship. In the OT, priests were to salt every single sacrifice before they tossed them all on the God’s flaming grill.

“Season all your grain offerings with salt to remind you of God’s eternal covenant. Never forget to add salt to your grain offerings” (Lev 2:13). Salt would remind God’s people that He’s totally committed to them forever.

Wiggling off the Altar

Martin Luther cooks up an image to help us try and wrap our heads around what our Savior is saying to His disciples. He says the Gospel acts like the salt and fire of the temple sacrifices. It burns and sears away our old self as new self becomes the true sacrifice.

This connects with Paul’s picture that a follower of Jesus should “be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him” (Rom 12:1).The problem with a living sacrifice is that it keeps wiggling off the altar! That’s why we need to crawl back on God’s altar every single day.

Jesus Grabs the Saltshaker

It’s at these point that Jesus grabs the saltshaker goes crazy. “Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other” (v50).

Our Savior spreads a LOT of salt here. How much? If you break it down in the original language, He uses a some form of the word “salt” a grand total of five times this one verse.

Bringing out the Flavor

First of all, Jesus says, “Salt is good for seasoning” (v50). Here we see the basic Greek word ‘αλας/halas we translate as…you guessed it…salt. A couple of thousand years later, it’s hard for us to understand just how important salt was back in the day. It’s kind of a big deal.

In the time of Jesus, people would use salt in a variety of ways. Similar to today, they would sprinkle it on food to bring out the flavor. It has the power to make a mundane meal just a bit better.

Salt as a Preservative

They would also use salt as a preservative since nobody had a fridge or deep freeze in the First Century. It was your only chance of keeping your foods from spoiling quickly. As a result, salt became a symbol of a lasting agreement.

Making Life Better

As the followers of Jesus, we’re to spread salt wherever we go. We’re to be like the seasoning to bring out the 

flavor and make life better for those around us. Are we a blessing to our neighbors, our coworkers, and our community?

We see a classic example of that in God’s instructions to His people after He’s sent into spiritual timeout in Babylon. In Jeremiah 29, He tells them to make themselves at home while they’re there.

Supernatural Saltshakers

Build homes. Plant gardens. Get married. Have kids. Ultimately, they are to “work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I send you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare” (Jer 29:7).

Are believers today really all that different from the captive Israelites? We could pout and mope that we’re not where we eventually want to be. Or we could be add seasoning to our community by being supernatural saltshakers.

Bland and Flavorless

Then Jesus asks the boys a question. “But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again?” (v50). In doing so, He uses another form of the word salt. The phrase the NLT translates as “loses its flavor” (Gr. αναλος/analos) actually means to be unsalted.

It’s the idea of becoming bland and flavorless. What’s the most tasteless food you’ve ever put in your mouth? For me, that’s easy. Tofu. Okay, I know there tons of tofu lovers out there. If that’s you, pick something else. That one thing you hope never occupies real estate on your dinner plate.

Losing Our Flavor

It’s what happens when the followers of Jesus lose our flavor. We lose our effectiveness when we pull up the drawbridge and seal ourselves off from society into our own little holy huddle. No salt gets spread to the outside world from inside our apocalyptic bomb shelter.

When we shut out those around us, we never have a chance to be a blessing. We lose any opportunity to tell them about Jesus. We lose our flavor.

Cheap Chewing Gum

Another way we become like used cheap chewing gum is when we act just like the world around us. God calls His people to be holy. There’s a lot behind that word. But in the simplest sense of the word, holiness means to be completely different and unlike anything else.

When we fail to understand His call to be holy, we end up being just like everybody else. We’re no different. Instead of providing flavor and acting as a preservative until Christ comes back, we lose our effectiveness. That’s when our salt loses it’s flavor. We lose our influence.

Getting a Grip

Think of it this way. God loads each of us up with His salt so that we can be like those DOT trucks that hit the roads before and during a winter storm. We travel around, provide traction, and make things safer. The salt we spread helps people get a grip on life and keep folks from spinning out of control.

“Stay Salty, My Friends”

That’s why our Savior wants us to not lose our flavor. “You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other” (v50). He tells us that just as important as being salty, is staying salty.

Remember the dude from the beer commercials known as the Most Interesting Man in the World? His catch phrase was, “Stay thirsty, my friends.” Let’s face it. Jesus is WAY more interesting than that guy. His tag line for us could be, “Stay salty, my friends.”

Saying What Needs to Be Said

Kinda makes sense when you put it together with something He said in His most famous message, a little something we like to call the Sermon on the Mount. Christ calls His followers “the salt of the earth” (Mt 5:13).

Apparently staying salty is key to folks getting along. But adding flavor and being a blessing to those around us doesn’t necessarily mean not making waves. It’s saying what needs to be said and wrapping it a thick layer of love and grace.

He Won’t Waste One Bit

Here’s how the Apostle Paul connects living in peace and spreading salt. “Live peacefully with each other. Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone” (1Th 5:13-14). 

If you’ve placed your trust in who Jesus is and what He’s done for you, He’s calling you to be a salt spreader. He’s correcting you because He loves you. He won’t waste one bit of what He’s allowed you to experience.

Hit the Road

As a result, we’re to be a blessing to those around us. Add flavor and taste to their lives. Act as a preservative of all that’s good. When we spread God’s salt wherever we go, it provides traction so people are much less likely to spin out of control. We need it to stay out of the ditch.

But here’s the deal. We’ve got to get out there to do it. God can’t use us to make a difference if we don’t get involved. The DOT can’t spread salt if the trucks never hit the road.

To paraphrase Ol’ Blue Eyes, start spreading the…salt.

©2019

Jay Jennings