Preserving Influence (Daily Devotional)

Shalom and welcome to our last episode in this series of lessons from a kitchen. I've taken you through, in the last couple of days, some little nuggets of thoughts that come to me as I have been in my kitchen. Today, one of the common ingredients that we have in our kitchen, is table salt and you know that salt is extremely important in our cooking. In fact, a salt in a good lime juice is also extremely essential for it to give out that right flavor or even in a cake, even as you bake a cake, the best flavor comes out only when you add a pinch of salt. So, what does salt do? Salt actually enhances the natural flavor of the ingredients that you're putting it into, it breaks down the walls of the vegetable or meat or the fruit that that you're putting it into and releases its natural flavor. There is a mandate that Jesus speaks about when we see salt, let's look into scripture as to what that mandate is. In Matthew chapter 5 and verse 13, Jesus says, ‘you are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.’ So, Jesus is saying to His disciples and His followers that we need to be salt. What are some characteristics of salt that Jesus highlighted in His word? Salt enhances flavor, like we have discovered, salt is one that releases the natural flavor of the food. So, Jesus calls us to be salt, to enhance the beauty of His world around. When we, who bear His name are within the community or within people, we enhance the lives of people, as we pray with them, as we show God's signs and miracles, as we work alongside, as we have a lending ear, as we pray, as we help, we release the flavor of Christ into the world around. Scripture says that if we lose our saltiness, we will be thrown out. What does that mean? When we are in this world, we need to be careful not to absorb the customs and the influences of the world around, so much so that we lose our influence, we lose who we are and what God has bought us to be. So being careful that we are always in tune with God so that we continue to be that influence with others. Another characteristic of salt is that it is used as a preservative, so there isn't any decay or spoilage that happens to the things that you are preparing. That's what God calls us all to be as well. When we are in this world, we stop the spoilage, we stop the decay because we have good news, we have the good news of Christ, that we can give out to somebody. So, when you are in your kitchen next time, preparing your meals with salt remember that you enhance the flavor, you enhance the life of others around and you bless them because of who Christ is in you. Shall we pray together? Heavenly Father, thank you, for this mandate that you have given us to be salt, we pray that we will truly be the salt of the earth, we will enhance your beauty, enhance your flavor to those around us. May we be careful never to lose our saltiness, never to be influenced by the customs and the principles of the world, but to stand strong in who you are, to stand strong in your promises and who you have called us to be. Thank you for these nuggets of truth, in Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.

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