Originally published at www.road2wholeness.com on 11/21/17
Welcome to The Road2Wholeness Blog! Thank you for taking the read today. "Fire Hazard" begins our “Life of LAB” quick-lab series. Let’s begin with a scripture or two for
context.
Let's begin with Matthew. Matthew 5:13 reads, “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.”
That being said, “What is your role as
salt?” Before you answer, take a look at another scripture.
Mark 9:49 reads, “Everyone will be salted
with fire.”
Now with both scriptures in mind, how do you feel about salt
and still, what is you role as salt?
When I first heard about salt it was through the reference of the
Matthew 5:13 scripture. I however
overlooked the Mark 9:49 scripture.
Therefore, I got all the glory about salt, but didn’t have the full
story. As a believer in Christ, I find
that I really hang onto the words that were spoken by Jesus, but there are some
that are meant to go over our heads until they are instructed to give meaning
to themselves in our lives.
Well since Matthew does come before Mark in the gospels,
let’s begin with the first question I posed.
We probably all know that salt is salty.
If we eat lots of salt, we usually get thirsty. Therefore we being the salt of the earth are
meant to create thirst. We are meant to
create a thirst for knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. That’s what Jesus did. The vehicles He used were peace and love, but
He was a teacher and He never lost sight of that. He broke down resistant with peace and love,
but He came to be the truth, law, and Word made flesh. We then as Believers in Christ aspire to be
like Christ. This then is more than role
playing. There is no playing to be
salt. As the scripture says, “…if salt
loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?”
Now let’s look at how we become salt. As Mark 9:49 stated, “Everyone will be salted
with fire.”
Here we see that we aren’t quite born salted. We can also see that salt doesn’t come with
acceptance of Christ, nor does it come with baptism with water. Salt comes by fire. We can get a clearer picture of this from
Luke. In Luke 1:80, John the Baptist who
was born ahead of Jesus to prepare the people for Jesus’ arrival and ministry,
is described as strong in the spirit. He
lived in the wilderness until he appeared pubIicly to Israel. In Luke 2:34-35, it was prophesied that Jesus
would reveal the thoughts of many hearts and His words would pierce the soul. In Luke 3:21, Jesus was baptized by John the
Baptist. Later in Luke 4:1, Jesus was
led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
I say all this to show two points. First, we see that the wilderness is a tool
of preparation for ministry that even Jesus could not bypass. In the case of John the Baptist it was also a
place of keeping. The bible says he
lived in the wilderness until he appeared to Israel—until God was ready to use
him to prepare the way. I believe John
the Baptist was so strong in spirit, as the bible puts it, that he could not live
among the people. His ministry created a
fire among the people. He told about the
coming of Christ and baptized many by water.
Now, here’s the switch in consciousness I think we should
look at. If we know and accept our role
as salt, who then offers water? Jesus.
In John 4:14, Jesus says, “Whoever drinks the water I give will never
thirst.” Therefore, we are to prepare a way just as
John did for Jesus. We do this by being
salt. We do this by making hearts tender
towards God. We then are salted by the
fire of the wilderness to create a fire in the hearts of the people. We call forth fire when we give the spirit of
God a reason to move and create miracles.
So we’re not here to be water, but rather a fire hazard. It’s important to get this part. We must remember that we essentially do not
have what the people need.
When we allow people to believe that we can transfer salt or
fire, we create a barrier to God. Yes,
we shall heal and have the power to do more than Jesus himself did, yet Jesus
is seeking to know his people and have his people know him. If all they get is the topical stuff then in
the end we haven’t served the Lord. God
creates miracles to increase faith, not human power. As it is said in the Word, God is a jealous
God. This is not just about other gods;
this is about anyone or any power who contends with God as a reward. I think sometimes there is a lack of healing
power not just due to a lack of faith, but also because God who knows the
heart, knows that the glory of God will be misdirected.
I also believe that this is why Jesus came in disguise. He up until a certain time was also only
called to be salt. Although He being God
had all power, He acted mostly as a man.
In Luke 2:39, Jesus is described simply as being filled with wisdom, and
having the grace of God on Him.
So I call our attention right back to salt, and the power of
being salt; not for our benefit but to benefit God. Therefore, as Believers we should always accept the
fire of the wilderness, because fire purifies.
Salt is what’s left behind, and salt then becomes our seasoning.
I thank you for taking the stroll with The Road2Wholeness Blog. Join us for the next 6 quick labs.
Remember to go within that you may never go without. The God within you awaits you. Until our paths collide again, I wish you... Peace, Love, Life, and Complete Wholeness in Christ.
In Service,
NaTisha Renee Williams
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