I want to put these words to page this morning in a spirit of love for you...love for God...love for the Kingdom.
You and I are made in Christ for great purpose! We are called to be the salt of the earth!
Now I could spend all of my time this morning teaching on what that means...but the truth is you've probably already heard a sermon or ten on it.
Instead, I want to look at the verse with you this morning from a different angle. So, here it is:
“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 underfoot." (Matt. 5:13-14)
Focus on the end of that verse with me, will you? If salt loses its saltiness...it is no longer good for anything.
So, here's the love...we are meant to be men and women of great influence in this world. Not because of our personalities, our great looks, or our bank accounts. We are meant to be men and women of great influence because of the person and the power that lives inside of us.
The great marker for the first deacons in the Bible was that fact that they were men "full of the Holy Spirit." In truth, that is the great marker for all servants of the King! You can keep your theologians, your politicians, your bank rollers...give me seven men full of the Holy Spirit of God and get out of the way!
When we abide, walk, keep in step with...the Holy Spirit our lives our full of love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, and self control.
That's what salty folks look like. That's how they taste. Good! People want to be around folks like that. They turn to folks like that when they face struggles and trials in life. They ask folks like that to pray for them. They ask folks like that why they are different. They ask folks like that how they can experience the same joy and peace that they see in their lives.
These are the kinds of people that Jesus intends us to be. So, how do we do it?
The answer is simple: We hang out with the Source of our Saltiness - Jesus.
Jesus is the one who stops the bleeding in this life! Jesus is the one who fills the empty stomach! Jesus is the one that makes the lame walk and the blind see!
Maybe it sounds too easy! But I promise you it's true. The key to being useful in the Kingdom is spending time with the King!
I heard it put this way last week: At the feeding of the 5,000, we know that there were probably more like 15-20,0000 people. How did Jesus feed them? Well, He had them sit down...into sections no doubt. And He broke the bread and the fish and gave it to the disciples to hand out? How much food could Peter carry to his section of over 1,000 people? Only as much as his hands could hold. Maybe enough for 60? A 100? What did he do when he ran out? He had to go back to Jesus for more!
Friends. Jesus is our bread! He is the bread of life! He is the source! The more often we go back to Him, the more effective we will be!
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
What's that smell?
We were at my in-laws house and all of the boys were playing with their cousins. We had traveled for the night to roast some marshmallows and head to a pumpkin patch the next day.
The s'mores were good and sitting by the fire was fun. But my favorite part was watching the boys and Faith run around and play with their cousins. They had a blast!
And that's when it hit me! As the kids came over to roast their marshmallows the odor came over too! I knew what it was immediately. We have all smelled that smell before.
I immediately began checking all of the shoes of the kids. Trying to determine which one had stepped in the dogie doo-doo (sorry...that's the cleanest phrase I could come up with at six in the morning). To my surprise, all the shoes were clean. But the smell lingered.
It wasn't until we got inside that we figured out what happened. The football the kids were playing with had evidently landed in a fresh pile. My son wiped it off (or so he thought) and then he picked it up and continued to play with it. Running around and tightly gripping the ball to his chest as others tried to catch and tackle him. The smell wasn't coming from his shoes, it was coming from his shirt!
Gross, right?
Well, that's the picture the Bible paints about our pursuits. In Philippians chapter three, Paul outlines all of his reasons for personal pride. And then he drops this bombshell in verse 7 and 8: But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ...
That word garbage...you guessed it...dog-dung. Paul made a realization. Compared to Jesus...all the things he used to hold dear...all the things he used to grip tightly in life were actually dog-dung. Can you see it? Or rather, can you smell it?
You and I are made for so much more than this world has to offer. We are made to be the aroma of Christ! But if that's going to happen we need to loosen our grip on a few things.
And if we do, maybe next time we're around someone, they'll ask themselves "What's that smell?' ...and it will be a good thing...a God thing even!
The s'mores were good and sitting by the fire was fun. But my favorite part was watching the boys and Faith run around and play with their cousins. They had a blast!
And that's when it hit me! As the kids came over to roast their marshmallows the odor came over too! I knew what it was immediately. We have all smelled that smell before.
I immediately began checking all of the shoes of the kids. Trying to determine which one had stepped in the dogie doo-doo (sorry...that's the cleanest phrase I could come up with at six in the morning). To my surprise, all the shoes were clean. But the smell lingered.
It wasn't until we got inside that we figured out what happened. The football the kids were playing with had evidently landed in a fresh pile. My son wiped it off (or so he thought) and then he picked it up and continued to play with it. Running around and tightly gripping the ball to his chest as others tried to catch and tackle him. The smell wasn't coming from his shoes, it was coming from his shirt!
Gross, right?
Well, that's the picture the Bible paints about our pursuits. In Philippians chapter three, Paul outlines all of his reasons for personal pride. And then he drops this bombshell in verse 7 and 8: But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ...
That word garbage...you guessed it...dog-dung. Paul made a realization. Compared to Jesus...all the things he used to hold dear...all the things he used to grip tightly in life were actually dog-dung. Can you see it? Or rather, can you smell it?
You and I are made for so much more than this world has to offer. We are made to be the aroma of Christ! But if that's going to happen we need to loosen our grip on a few things.
And if we do, maybe next time we're around someone, they'll ask themselves "What's that smell?' ...and it will be a good thing...a God thing even!
Monday, November 3, 2014
Please don't pray for my safety!
Dear friends, I love you! I appreciate you! I covet your prayers! This pastor thing is tough! What am I saying? This life thing is tough! So, I appreciate your prayers.
But, would you please do me a favor? Don't pray for my safety.
Pray that God would be glorified in me. Pray that the gospel would be advanced through me. Pray that the kingdom would be my focus and Jesus would be my aim.
But, please don't pray that I would be safe.
You see, I don't want to be safe any longer. Safe keeps my door locked. Safe keeps me from speaking even when I feel like I should. Safe keeps me from dreaming and believing in the big things of God. Safe is paralyzing!
The gospel of Jesus isn't safe! It's dangerous! It has the power to break strongholds. It has the ability to overcome generations of sin and darkness. It brings dead people to life! It makes the lame walk and blind see. It gives the orphan a loving home and provides food and shelter for the hungry. The gospel allows me to open my heart up and willingly love others knowing that I might get hurt. It forces me to look at my finances differently and question what success really is. The gospel changes my priorities and my plans.
That's the life I want! Jesus told us that we would have trouble in the world (Jn. 16:33) so why do we pray that we won't? I want to be in the center of storm. Not because I'm crazy. Not because I have some kind of morbid death wish. But because I know I'll find Jesus there. And even if He doesn't calm the wind and the waves... His presence will be more than enough!
The greatest blessings I've ever experience in life have come in the few and far between moments that I decided to live dangerously for the Kingdom of Christ. I guess what I'm saying is...I want more of those moments in my life. Thanks in advance for the prayers! May God be glorified!
In Him,
Jason
But, would you please do me a favor? Don't pray for my safety.
Pray that God would be glorified in me. Pray that the gospel would be advanced through me. Pray that the kingdom would be my focus and Jesus would be my aim.
But, please don't pray that I would be safe.
You see, I don't want to be safe any longer. Safe keeps my door locked. Safe keeps me from speaking even when I feel like I should. Safe keeps me from dreaming and believing in the big things of God. Safe is paralyzing!
The gospel of Jesus isn't safe! It's dangerous! It has the power to break strongholds. It has the ability to overcome generations of sin and darkness. It brings dead people to life! It makes the lame walk and blind see. It gives the orphan a loving home and provides food and shelter for the hungry. The gospel allows me to open my heart up and willingly love others knowing that I might get hurt. It forces me to look at my finances differently and question what success really is. The gospel changes my priorities and my plans.
That's the life I want! Jesus told us that we would have trouble in the world (Jn. 16:33) so why do we pray that we won't? I want to be in the center of storm. Not because I'm crazy. Not because I have some kind of morbid death wish. But because I know I'll find Jesus there. And even if He doesn't calm the wind and the waves... His presence will be more than enough!
The greatest blessings I've ever experience in life have come in the few and far between moments that I decided to live dangerously for the Kingdom of Christ. I guess what I'm saying is...I want more of those moments in my life. Thanks in advance for the prayers! May God be glorified!
In Him,
Jason
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