Yesterday I mentioned that Matthew 5 presents a big challenge to us in how to live our lives. Part of that challenge is in being a witness to the world if you are a follower of Christ. Jesus said that we are to be salt, and to not lose our flavor. But what does it mean to be flavorful as a Christ follower? Jesus said he is “the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6). He said if you know Him, “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32). Finally, He said that He came “that (we) may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10). Jesus came to give us eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. Our job is not to save people. It is simply to witness to others what we know - that Jesus is the Christ, who died for us!
One of the ways that we can witness to people about our life in Christ is to live God-honoring lives. I have heard people say that being a Christian must be boring, and that they don’t want to be a Christian because you have to give up all the fun stuff. I could not disagree more with that thought. have a beautiful wife and three wonderful daughters. We have a lot of fun. We go to the beach and to water parks, to ball games and concerts and movies. We hang out with friends and talk and laugh and eat too much. And yes, we go to church on Sundays and Wednesdays, and sometimes we help with mission projects or special events with our church. We don’t do these things because we can’t have fun. We do them because Jesus has set us free. We are not in bondage to the things Satan says are fun. Instead, we delight in the things of God that build us up spiritually.
The rest of the chapter talks about living an honorable life away from things that keep you in bondage to sin. When you have hatred toward other people, when you lust after someone, when you swear that you will do something, or plot revenge on someone that has wronged you, you are in bondage to sin. You are in bondage because you are either plotting to sin, you are sinning, or you are covering up the sin. This consumes all your time and energy so that you cannot simply enjoy life. The thing that Jesus really tried to drive home for us here is this fact - sin is not sin because we do it. Sin is sin because it has manifested itself in our hearts. He said, “everyone who is angry with his brother,” (v. 22) or “everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (v. 28). You don’t actually have to attack your brother, or have sex with someone. You have already sinned when you think about it.
So, what does this have to do with being salt, and being flavorful? It is simply this - you cannot show the world how great life is for a Christ follower if you are living like the world. You have to put sin aside and treat people with love, respect, and care. You take the attitude that others are more important than you, and that your ultimate purpose is to love them. It also means that life is fun, and full of love and laughs because you treat people in this matter. This is an area of my life I have struggled with, and I am learning how to do this better.
I believe that Jesus had fun while He was here on earth. I believe that He laughed, alot, and that He danced at weddings. I believe He enjoyed spending time with His friends, and that He enjoyed joking with them. I believe that He might have been a practical joker. I know, because scripture shows us, that Jesus had what could be described as a cutting, sarcastic wit. He used this to make His points and teach lessons, not to embarrass or humiliate people. I believe that the best fun is fun that I can lift up to God and say, “Hey, Jesus, you want to join us?” And I believe He would say “YES!”, because He’s just salty like that.
And, I believe that the best people in the world have more than a little salt in them.
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