Saturday 20 October 2012

Saturday Reading: Matthew 5:13-16

Key Verse: Matthew 5:16
16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Devotion:
Salt is something that is both required by us and enjoyed by us as it not only is an essential part of our diet but a tasty edition to most meals. Something so strange as a rock crystal, yet so abundant in many areas (including in our seas) makes a big impact in our lives. We may not look at the work that we do for God as being essential, but without it many people would continue having a bland life. We may not look at what we do as being needed by anyone, but they may see us in a very different light.

God does not want us to hide away as Christians but rather to allow others to see that we are Christians who are willing to share what we have. If we hid away then nobody else around us would be able to enjoy the privilege we have in living with Christ in our lives. If we do not allow others to see a bit of Christ through us, then are we actually working against Christ instead of working for Him? You see we don’t have to go out and be employed by a church or by an organisation I order to make that difference because Christ is willing to use us in any forma as long as we are willing to listen to His instruction!

Christ described the apostles as being both salt and light in this passage because they were about to make a remarkable difference to so many people’s lives on earth. He wants to be able to continue using people who are willing to listen and learn and then take what they have learned and apply it to their lives. As I have said before, that does not mean going out and street preaching (God chooses those servant very carefully) but it does mean not hiding God’s Word away from everyone else.

To be a successful servant of God we need to follow His will in our lives and part of that will is following the great commission – to go out into the world and show them the Gospel as He has shown us. Someone else made a difference in our lives by allowing us to hear about God and we probably got involved through the example someone else showed us through their lives. God wants us to be that salt that will make a difference and that light that will allow others to see just a little bit more of that truth that we know from Christ.

Points to Ponder:
Are you hiding your Christianity away?

Do you allow others to taste a bit of Christ through your life?