What did Jesus mean by; "You are the salt of the earth"?

In Matthew 5:13, Jesus said: "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." But what did He mean by 'you are the salt of the earth'?
-
(1) Well, for one thing; salt is necessary for life. Just as with water, your body requires a certain amount of salt to keep living. And so, just as table salt is imperative to life; the salt of the earth (disciples; Christians going forward w/the saving truth of Jesus) is equally imperative to the soul.
-
(2) Salt adds flavor. Just as table salt adds flavor to food; the salt of the earth; Christians, Jesus' disciples add flavor to the world. We offer His truth, which can only be found in the love, and sacrifice of Jesus Himself. The world offers many flavors in the form of religions, sexual lifestyles, freedom to be whom ever you choose, buy what you want, when you want at any cost. No obligations to anyone other than yourself. But in the end, these self-serving pleasures always lose their attraction, because they are only temporary, as well as being hurtful to individuals, society, and the soul.
-
On the other hand; the salt of the earth, flavors all for the better. It doesn't offer false, fleeting, and destructive pleasures, it doesn't lose it's pleasurable flavor; but it instead offers everlasting joy (peace), and eternal life in heaven. No lies, or spin, just the simple, yet amazing truth of love, light, joy , and eternal salvation!
-
(3) Salt is a preservative. When you want to preserve meats, you use salt. If the meat was not preserved, it would quickly go bad and you would not be able to use it. The same is true with the soul; if the Lords truth is not applied to the soul, the soul would wither away in it's sin, unable to be used, or saved by God. The salt of the earth is only preserving (saving) to the soul, when it is applied. So Christians must not get discouraged. We must continue the work we have been charged with, (The Great Commission) to win lost souls to Christ.
-
(4) ....."but if the salt loses it's flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men."
-
If you flavored a dish with salt, and then added too much of another seasoning (flavor), the salt would lose it's flavor. So is true with the salt of the earth. Jesus said that we Christians are the salt of the earth. So if we go about our daily lives, not only living in this world, but also being a part of this world; we are affixing the world's flavors, to the flavor's Jesus has imparted to us. We are over-powering His flavor's, with the flavors of the world. When this happens, we lose site of what is important not only to our walk with Him, and our relationship with the Father, but the lost souls we have been charged with.  The flavor's of joy, life, light, compassion, understanding, empathy, and sympathy become mixed with pride, depression, sadness, self-servingness, lawlessness, wrong-headedness, and many other emotions, and actions the world generates.
-
One final thought... You will note, that Jesus did not say: You 'can be' the salt of the earth if you choose to be, nor did He say; some of you are the salt of the earth, or you are the salt of the earth sometime. No, He left no doubt that He expected us to be the salt of the earth, for as long as we are on this earth, being a part of the Great Commission: "Matthew 28:19 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
-
The last part of that verse: "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.", implies that He was not only giving this commission to the 12 disciples, but to all Christians to follow. He knew that these men would not be here forever, and He knew that they could not possibly go to all nations in their life-time. No, clearly He was telling them to teach all they could, so that they may teach others (us) who would continue His commission down through the ages.

HOW DO YOU PRESENT JESUS TO THE WORLD?

This is something I wrote for a blog on my website
http://www.christianspersecuted.info in Febuary 2011.

HOW DO YOU PRESENT JESUS TO THE WORLD?

I have spent allot of time over the last few months,
myself..my actions, and speech. And the conclusion I
have come to is, is that there are allot of changes I
can make in my personal behavior. No one evr said that
it is easy being a Christian. However; we must remember
that everything we do and say, is seen by the secular
world as "Christian behabior". When we announce ourselves
as Christians, we are saying more than the obvious of
accepting Jesus as our Savior; we are saying we are now
'Christ-like'. That carries alot of weight with it! So
what are you showing Christ to look like?
Let's be honest; there are alot of people who say that
the Christians they know act no different than the non-
Christians they know. They add that we are hypocrites,
and the Church is a joke. And that many Christians they
know, go to the barsSaturday night, and drag themselves
to church Sunday morning. Why is that?
In living our daily lives, alot of it is spent in the
work place, schools, and play, as well as the constant
bombardment of TV show that are rated R, and many that
in this person's humble opinion, should be rated X! As
well as movies, the Internet, mingling with unsavory
people, etc.
These things can have a direct effect on how we conduct
houselves, if we allow them to. How many time have we
had a "slip of the tongue", or done something we would
normally disapprove of? Sure we are going to slip every
now and then; but how we handle it is just as important
as not doing it at all.
For example: If I were at a gathering, and in conversation
someone was gossiping about a mutual acquaintance, and they
looked at me for a response; the right thing to do would be
to let them know that I have no opinion, do not like to
gossip.
Example II: If I have a slip of the tongue, (code for: I chose
to say this word) being a Christian; the Holy Spirit would
immediately convict me, and at that point I should apologize for
my behavior, and ask for that person(s) forgiveness, as well as
God's forgiveness.
I is important that the secular world, as well as people of other
faiths see how God works in us. When we do not apologize for bad
behavior, and ask that person(s) forgiveness, we present God/Jesus
in a bad light.
Surprisingly enough, there are many Christians that wouldn't even
think of asking someones forgiveness, expecially for a non-Christian.
(The prior statement only "assumes" the preson is Christian, since
the Holy Spirit convicts Christians.) However, that is exactly what
we should do. If we do not extend the same Christian behavior to
non-Christians, as we do Christians; we are not being true to our
faith. How are we to lead them to Jesus Christ, if we do not extend
His love to them in our words, and actions? After all, isn't leading
people to Christ our ultimate goal?

02/26/11

Exposing Navy SEALs Imposters

Who knew there were so many Navy SEALs  posers? I'd never even heard about it until today. Sure, I knew there were posers of all kinds, I just didn't realize that so many were posing as a SEAL.


However, today there were articles all over the net. The AP, Grand Folks Harold, ABC News, theblaze.com, navytimes.com, etc., about this very issue. Here are just a few things I read...
                        
Steve Waterman, a former underwater photographer was quoted as saying, "Dead giveaways are loose tongues and bravado: SEALs are discreet. "There were about 500 SEALs that operated in Vietnam, and I've met all 20,000 of them," joked Steve Waterman, a retired Navy diver from South Thomaston.


"The more outrageous a story is, in a lot of cases, the more it's believed. These guys do a terrible amount of damage," said Ret. Navy Seal, Don Shipley, of Chesapeake, Va.
Don Shipley is one of few former Navy SEALs authorized with a database of actual graduates of the SEAL training.


Shipley said "SEALs don't talk about their exploits", ... "It makes us uncomfortable," he said. "We don't like talking about it. But these (phonies), that's what they crave. They like talking about cutting people's throats."


And Larry Bailey, a retired SEAL from Chocowinity, N.C.,  and several others including Steve Waterman are exposing phonies through a website, http://www.stolenvalor.com/ .


According to Lt. Cate Wallace, spokeswoman for the command in California; the public can inquire about supposed SEALs  at 'The Naval Special Warfare Command, which receives regular inquiries, most of which are proven phonies.


                     
I guess it is easier to pretend you have achieved great feats, than to actually do it. But to pretend you are a hero is (in my opinion) the lowest you can get!

What Does Blind Bartimeaus Have To Teach Us?

- What Can We Learn?


Jesus stopped on His way to the passover, not for a king, or high-priest, but someone who was looked down on as the lowest of the low. For He had stopped for Blind Bartimaeus, a beggar man. When he cried out for Jesus, saying: Jesus, [thou] Son of David, have mercy on me, those around him corrected him, basically telling him to shut up, as though he was no one to speak to the Lord. But thankfully he didn't listen to his critics.




Blind Beggar

He had heard much of this man called Jesus. He had heard that he had healed the lepers, the blind, and even raised the dead. And he had heard that He was in this place, and that place, always on the move so that Bartimaeus wouldn't have even been sure that he would ever meet Him. So imagine the urgency he must have felt when Jesus did come though his area! The determination he had, to place himself in the right place, so that he would be heard when he called out to Jesus. The strong desire he had to see, if for no other reason, so that he would no longer need to beg.


This was clearly a once in a lifetime opportunity, and he realized that he must act now, so as not to let it pass him by! Jesus heals! Jesus heals! This must have gone though his mind over, and over again. There was no one that was going to keep him from embracing the most important opportunity of his life!


And so he cried out for Jesus in spite of his critics, and Jesus stopped to address him. And Jesus ask him, What do you want me to do for you? Bartimaeus replied, Lord; I want to receive my site. By saying "Lord", or "Master", he was acknowledging that he believed that He was the Son of God. And therefore in that moment, he was not only healed, but saved! Because the Lord teaches that when we believe on His name, we are saved! And Jesus verifies this as he replied to Bartimeaus saying: Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

  What can we learn from Blind Bartimaeus?


Imagine if Bartimaeus had allowed his critics to shout him down, and cause him not to take action. It would have been a whole different scenario for him, or better put - it would be the same scenario. Life as he knew it would never change. And though we can not say if he believed completely in Jesus as the Savior, before he met Him, there was certainly the chance that he didn't. Therefore allowing him to remain in both physical, and spiritual darkness!


It is the same with all people. We are in a spiritual darkness, until our spiritual eyes are opened, by coming to know Jesus as our Lord, and Savior. When we do this, God sends down His Holy Spirit to dwell in us throughout our lives, and the Holy Spirit causes us to see (understand) what we were once blind to. It will most likely not be an immediate thing. But when we study His word regularly, always asking Him to reveal His truths to us, and we remain in prayer; He will reveal His truths in many ways, and many area's of our lives. But the main point here not to be missed is; we are now saved!! The rest will come in time.


But if we let our critics, or even our own so called "logical" thinking stand in the way of our coming to the Lord, we may be missing our only opportunity to do so. There is nothing that says we will have (many) chances, so if the opportunity does present itself, it may be the only, or last time! You may say; how do I know when the opportunity has presented itself, what does it look like? When ever you have been informed of the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, that was/is an opportunity! The Lord presents it to us by way of conversations, church, books, this article, music, or sometimes [causes] you to consider Him without any outside help or aid at all.  And while it may be the first of several times that the Lord will reach out to you, it may also be the last.

                                                                                                                                                                       So Bartimaeus teaches us that when Jesus is near, we should ignore all things to the contrary, and take the opportunity that He is clearly offering for salvation. Remember, you are not promised tomorrow, and no one is immortal. There is really only one surety in this life, and that is that WE WILL ALL DIE! So don't let what is possibly the only chance you'll have for salvation, pass you by! Jesus Saves! He is real! He is near! If you are reading this, it may be no accident, because you clicked on this page for 'some' reason; and now that you have this information, AN OPPORTUNITY has been presented. It is now CLEARLY your choice! For your sake, for your SOUL, I pray that you make the right one!

Please understand, KNOW without doubt; God loves each, and everyone of His children. If you go to Him with a sincere heart, and truly repent (turn from your sin), having also ask forgiveness, He will forgive you.

 *If you want Jesus in you life, but are unsure weather or not you truly believe; I suggest that you pray, and ask Jesus to reveal Himself to you. If you are still unsure, I suggest you continue searching for His presence (praying), and read the Holy Bible. ( You may want to call a church official for guidance.) It has been suggested by many that the Psalms, or Proverbs are a good way to start the study of God's word. I believe however, if you are both praying, and studying God's word, He will reveal His truths to you, no matter what book you start in.

*If you are ready to except Jesus into you heart, it could not be easier. However; that does not mean it is not serious. You must be sincere in your heart.



*If you are sincere, you could say something like this: Lord Jesus, I come to you with a humbled heart. I know that you were sent from your Father in heaven, and died, in my place, for my sins. Please forgive me for all my sins, and I will therefore turn away from my sins; and I will live for you all the days of my life.



The words you use are not important. God is not looking for fancy words, He is looking for a sincere heart! Just be yourself, and speak to your Father from the heart.



May God bless those of you who are new to the family of God, with a true hunger for knowledge, and understanding of His word! And may He lead those of you who are in doubt, to search for Him.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



-- If you need a Bible, and cannot afford one;  call your local churches; some churches provide Bibles to those who cannot afford it. Or you may go to http://www.biblegateway.com/ which is a free online Bible. If you do not know where to start, start at the begining by typing in Genesis 1.



-- Or if you want to download a free eBible, you can go here: http://www.biblepath.com/bible_download.html



--Or if you want the Holy Bible free of charge for your Kindle, go here: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_sq_top?ie=UTF8&keywords=free%20bible%20for%20kindle&index=blended&pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000FC2KBU&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1HF8ACFWE63VXYC6XT0V (This may be a limited time.)