For His Name’s Sake

Pastor Carol Grace ♦ October 1, 2012 ♦ Leave a comment

Matthew 5:10-13

¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you ever met someone who, from the very beginning, just did not like you?  There was nothing you did or said; they just did not like you. 

It is uncomfortable to be around people like who behave in such a manner.  But we must realize that we do not have to stand on a soapbox preaching the gospel to bring about persecution.  And we need to understand persecution can be as subtle as another person simply not liking you without cause.

When you have the Spirit of God within you there is a discernable difference in your behavior.  You pray before your meal, even in public.  You choose to live a holy life and encourage others to do the same.  You seek to lift up others and you choose peace instead of conflict, graciousness instead of gossip. 

Jesus says we are to be the salt of the earth.  Salt is not just something we use to flavor our food; it is a preservative.  My grandparents had given up farming before I was born, but they still had several small structures on their property made of logs and mud.  One of these structures was a smokehouse, and inside that house hung salted meat.  Just as salt preserved that meat, we are called to preserve our world, at least our immediate world.  How? By letting Christ be reflected in all we say and do.

We have all been to restaurants where the salt was so hard and caked together that it could not be used.  Salt exposed to the elements does not just lose its flavor, it loses its preservative ability.  If we are to be the salt of the earth, we must maintain our flavor by staying in the Word and spending time in prayer and with other likeminded believers. 

PRAYER:  Our Father, some preach that holy living is easy living, but we know that is not the case.  We pray today for strength to stand up for the gospel of Jesus Christ while showing love and compassion in everything we do and say.  Amen.