Daily Devotion For Thursday, September 12, 2024
We know that time is linear and constant but it sure does feel as if it is flying. We are wrapping up our devotional about salt and light as found in Matthew 5:13-16:
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. (14) “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; (15) nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. (16) Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (NASB).
Pastor and author John MacArtthur tells this touching story about a young lady named Helen Ewing:
“Helen Ewing was saved as a young girl in Scotland and gave her life completely to the lordship of Christ. When she died at the age of 22 it is said that all Scotland wept. She had expected to serve God as a missionary in Europe and had become fluent in the Russian language. But she was not able to fulfill that dream. She had no obvious gifts such as speaking or writing, and she had never traveled far from home. Yet by the time she died she had won hundreds of people to Jesus Christ. Countless missionaries mourned her death because they knew that a great channel of their spiritual strength was gone. She had risen every morning at five in order to study God’s Word and to pray. Her diary revealed that she regularly prayed for over three hundred missionaries by name. Everywhere she went the atmosphere was changed. If someone was telling a dirty story, he would stop if he saw her coming. If people were complaining, they would become ashamed of it in her presence. An acquaintance reported that while she was at Glasgow University she left the fragrance of Christ wherever she went. In everything she said and did she was God’s salt” (Source: John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, “Matthew,” pp. 243-244).
In Jesus’ day the religious leaders taught that Jews had the light of God only. For Jesus to say we as His disciples were God’s light would have offended the religious leaders. Because the Jews through the centuries had ignored and rejected God’s light, they were no longer God’s light. This is Paul’s point in Romans 2:19-21:
“And are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, (20) a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, (21) you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?” (NASB).
In other words, they had the light but they were not living by it. For light to benefit anyone it must be visible. This is why Jesus compares light in verse 14 to a city that sets up on a hill. You cannot hide it. It is visible. By day the light of the sun shows its buildings and layout and by night, the moon and the lights within the houses and buildings show it is there. It is impossible to hide it or conceal it. Lights are to illuminate, not to be hidden; to be displayed, not to be covered. Christians are to be both subtle salt and conspicuous light. God did not give His light to Jesus to reveal to only a few. Look at John 1:9, “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world” (ESV).
When it comes to salt, there really isn’t a way to make salt unsalted or not salt. Most of the salt in Jesus’ day was along the shore of the Dead Sea, but it was contaminated with gypsum and other minerals that make it taste flat and even repulsive. When a batch of such contaminated salt would find its way into a household and be discovered, it was thrown out. People would be careful not to throw it on a garden or field, because it would kill whatever was planted. Instead it would be thrown onto a path or road, where it would gradually be ground into the dirt and disappear.
This means if we allow our walk with Christ to become contaminated with sin and the ways of the world, we do not lose our salvation. We lose our effectiveness and influence. We have this promise from Jesus in John 10:27-28, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; (28) and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand” (NASB). As Christians we cannot lose our salvation but we can contaminate our witness and testimony. This means we cannot be an example of purity in the world if we have lost our own purity. Pure salt does not lose its saltiness.
If we hide our light due to fear of offending others, or embarrassment, we demonstrate unfaithfulness to Jesus Christ. In verse 16, Jesus uses the word “glory.” This is the Greek New Testament word [δοξάζω, dozazo]. This is where we get our English word “doxology.” Here are a couple stories from John MacArthur that shows how important it is for to shine our light for Christ and not lose our saltiness:
“It is said of Robert Murray McCheyne, a godly Scottish minister of the last century, that his face carried such a hallowed expression that people were known to fall on their knees and accept Jesus Christ as Savior when they looked at him. Others were so attracted by the self-giving beauty and holiness of his life that they found his Master irresistible.
It was also said of the French pietist Francois Fenelon that his communion with God was such that his face shone with divine radiance. A religious skeptic who was compelled to spend the night in an inn with Fenelon, hurried away the next morning, saying, “If I spend another night with that man I’ll be a Christian in spite of myself” (Source: John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 247).
When Jesus told His disciples that He was the Light of the world, He was preparing to heal a blind man (John 9). He violated the Sabbath to do so and stirred up yet another controversy. His enemies tried to force the formerly blind man to give them evidence that would condemn Jesus for breaking the law. “We know this man is a sinner,” they told him. “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know,” the man answered. “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see” (John 9:24, 25).
New Testament scholar LeRoy Lawson writes this:
“He (the blind man who was given his sight back by Jesus) was just doing what Jesus asks all His disciples to do. Jesus doesn’t expect us to answer all the theological or philosophical problems posed by skeptics, but we can tell what we know: once we were blind to the Lord, blind to life, blind to the worthwhile in life, blind to the right, blind to the transforming power of God, blind to our own sinfulness, and blind to so much that makes life meaningful—but now we see! And we want to help others see. We who were darkness have become light. (See also Ephesians 5:8, 9; Philippians 2:14, 15; Psalm 27:1; 1 Peter 2:9.) – Source: LeRoy Lawson, Unlocking the Scriptures For You, “Matthew,” p. 70.
“Here are some ways we need to avoid dimming or hiding our light for Christ by New Testament scholar Bruce B. Barton:
- being quiet when we should speak
- going along with the crowd
- denying the truth
- letting sin dim our witness for Christ
- not explaining the truth to others
- ignoring the needs of others
Be a beacon of truth—don’t shut off your light from the rest of the world” (Source: Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 85).
Questions To Consider
- When you have an accomplishment or promotion or get an award, who do you shine the light on,Jesus Christ or yourself? Why?
- Are there any ways you are dimming your light for Christ? What are ways you consistently shine the light of Christ in you to others?
- In the 3 sets of stories you were given, which one stands out to you the most and why? How can you be like the person in that story?
- How can you help other disciples of Jesus who hide their light, start shining their light?
Scripture To Meditate On: Matthew 10:33, Jesus said, “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, help me to shine Your light in this dark and sinful world. Help me not to lose my flavor as salt through contamination. I do not ever want to be guilty of denying You. I love You Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly