Do You Have Enough Salt?

“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. Mathew 5:13 (NIV)

When I was in the hospital with pneumonia what surprised me the most was that the doctors were less interested in the pneumonia than the fact my blood was so low on salt. At one point a doctor came into my room with two handfuls of salt packets like you see in restaurants and piled them on a table beside my bed. That was how much she stressed that I needed to get more salt into my system as it was dangerously low.

Salt is a preservative. It also gives flavor to food. Jesus illustrated how important it was that we have a “life of flavor” that impacts those around us for good. Having Him in our lives makes us essentially “taste good to those around us”. We should have a positive impact on this world and people due to having Christ in our lives.

Have you ever been in a place or around people who you knew were having a bad influence on you? Contrast that with being in a place, or around people where there was a good influence, you then understand what Jesus was talking about. 

I can think of many people who have had a good impact on my life. God often uses people to help us and bless us in many ways and likewise we should bless others and help them when we can.

As Christians we are here to make the world better, not worse. People will be impacted positively because of the presence of Jesus in our lives as we allow Him to be salt in us and flavor the atmosphere around us.

Prayer: Dear Lord, It is easy to get aligned with the pessimism and darkness in this world, but help us to shine Your light and allow You to add flavor to our lives so we can bless those we come into contact with. Amen.

When Dealing With The Tough Stuff

God is our refuge and strength,

    an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, Psalm 46:1-2 (NIV)

Despite having gone to Urgent Care about a week earlier and getting medication for my bronchitis I had gotten worse. I awoke with difficulty breathing, a fever, and the Oximeter on my finger making beeping sounds as the alarm told me my oxygen was low. I groaned as I knew it meant a trip to the emergency room. 

I hoped they would give me a stronger antibiotic, perhaps a big dose of steroids to open my lungs, and send me on my way. The physician came in and told me they were admitting me to the hospital. I tried to debate her and see if I could not just be treated at home as I knew I would get no sleep and not much rest in a hospital, but she won the debate. A little while later the doctor was back to tell me that my sodium on my blood work was at a dangerously low level and they had no specialist to treat me for it so I must be transported to a larger hospital facility miles away that could deal with it. I was aware that my sodium levels always ran low on my blood work, but she assured me they had never been this dangerously low. 

At this point I was ready to go home. The idea of being stuck in a hospital many miles from my house and the stress of it all felt too much. I debated again with the doctor and asked what would happen if I just went home. The doc assured me they would not even release me to go home because I was septic from the infection in my lung and it was not safe for me to leave.

We all face things in life that we would rather avoid. Too often these challenges hit us when least expected. We feel unprepared. We feel powerless to deal with hardships that assail us. Yet, after doing all we can to try and avoid such difficulties, in the end we do what we know we should do as Christians–we pray and surrender ourselves and the situation to God.

Only God can help you deal with the tough stuff in your life. Only He can take your weakness and give you His strength. And only Jesus can turn around what feels like an impossible situation to you.

No matter what tough stuff you are facing, take it to God in prayer, surrender yourself and the situation to His will, and you will see Him bring you through it all.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we hate the tough stuff that comes along in life, but it comes whether we want it to or not. When such times arrive, turn our eyes to You, for You alone can bring us through it all. Thank You Jesus! Amen.

The Bible Is A Treasure Chest

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)

The Bible is an endless supply of wisdom, guidance, encouragement, and continued blessings. Through it we have a revelation of who God is, how He made the heavens and earth. In it we discover Jesus and His teachings and sacrifice for us. And we are given guidance and knowledge of how to live as Christians and please God.

I have read the Bible since I was a boy, and from then until now the Holy Spirit has brought passages of scripture to me in my time of need. Whether I was sick, hurting, confused, angry and frustrated, or simply needed wisdom on some particular subject, the Bible has helped me time and again.

As a young man I was caught in the throes of a deep depression and Satan was whispering in my ear that I was a dead man. I went to the Word of God as I had the habit of doing, especially in times of crisis, and this is the verse the Holy Spread led me to:

I will not die but live,

    and will proclaim what the Lord has done. Psalm 118:17 (NIV)

I latched on to that promise from God’s Word.

Once when I made a trip from Ohio to Tennessee I was in a Chronic Fatigue Syndrome flareup. I was completely exhausted when I arrived at the hotel in Tennessee. I opened a Gideon’s Bible sitting on the table by my bed and read this:

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)

Yet at another time my Chron’s Disease had created a skin ulcer on my stomach as big as a half dollar, and the surface skin was completely missing from it. It was terribly painful and disturbing to look at. I remember being at the wound clinic and the doctor bringing in about eight medical students to exhibit my wound to them–it was that bad. The Lord led me to the following verse and I clung to it over nearly a year before my wound was healed:

Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. Jeremiah 17:4 (NIV)

Then there was the time I was wrestling with terrible fear and anxiety:

Do not fear, for I am with you;

Do not be afraid, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, I will also help you,

I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ Isaiah 41:10 (NASB)

I could go on, and on, but you get the point. The Bible is an endless resource of help, encouragement, strength, and revelation of God’s love and care for us. When trouble comes, and it will come, if we open the treasure chest that is God’s Word we will find help. As we allow the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us through reading the Bible He will reveal to us the verses that can help us in our time of need.

The Bible is a treasure chest available to us all. We only need to let God’s Spirit guide and teach us from this Holy Book. Open your Bible today and discover a treasure greater than gold.

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Luke 11:9 (KJV)

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for the treasure chest that is Your Word. Guide us to the scriptures that will open our hearts and minds to Your precious promises. May we never neglect such a priceless Gift. Amen.

Give It All To Jesus

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

Throughout my life when serious problems have arisen my knee-jerk reaction has been to grab the bull by the horns and deal with the situation in my own strength, to reason it out, to solve it myself. Yet over the years I have come to realize that most big problems are unsolvable in my own strength and power. My best abilities fall far short of resolving difficult situations.

Though my first reaction is to take action when troubles arise, experience has taught me that I simply don’t have that ability in most situations. But thankfully, I know the One who does have the ability to deal with any great challenge or problem that arises.

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

I have learned that when I am being crushed under the weight of some terrible problem that it is time to hand it over to Jesus. In my mind I imagine as I pray holding the weight of the problem in my hands and then handing the trouble over into the capable Hands of Jesus. As I pray and visualize this I can feel the weight leaving me and find the peace in knowing Jesus is in control of the situation.

I love the Serenity Prayer. It is filled with so much truth.

“The Serenity Prayer” 

God, Grant me the Serenity

To accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things that I can

And Wisdom to know the difference. —Reinhold Niebuhr

Experience over many years has proven to me the wisdom of giving our cares and burdens to Jesus. Of course He may have us take action regarding certain things, and we should do our part when we can, but the mountain sized problems we all face in life are generally beyond our pitiful strength to solve most of the time. What we can do is pray, believe, give our major challenges to God, and trust Him for the outcome.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we all have mountains we must face in life, but thank You that we do not face them alone and need not solve them in our inadequate strength but can rely upon Your mighty power Lord. Amen.

Showing Kindness To Everyone

 Showing Kindness To Everyone

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12 (NIV)

There is a story about a man who grew up in the old American West. He was asked why everyone in his generation were so nice. The answer he gave: “Because everyone carried a gun.”

I suppose niceness would come easier to some people if they thought not being so could get their head blown off. But that seems a terrible motivation for kindness.

As Christians, kindness is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Kindness is a part of who we are and what we are supposed to show to an often unkind world.

I remember once when I was an appliance and furniture salesman, a car salesman came in as a customer. I don’t know what sort of salesman he was when doing his job, but he was very hostile to me, acting as if my number one job was to rip him off in some way. I decided to “kill him with kindness” and show him that not all salesmen were like him, or his worst image of a salesman. So I was nice to him the entire time he was acting like a fool and being unkind. At the end of my showing him different products and not pushing anything on him, but just giving him information as was my habit, he cooled down and seemed to realize how obnoxious he had been for no good reason.

There are unkind people in the world. And it is hard to deal with such people. Sadly, I think the Internet and certain social web sites have made people more sarcastic and cynical to the point that it feels like a computer disease or virus spreading among those who get online. I have felt its subtle influence myself and have had to catch myself before making a typical sarcastic unkind comment.

Kindness is not always easy, even for the Christian. Another spiritual fruit is self-control, which as we know takes work and effort, the same with patience. Like these fruits, it may take some effort to show kindness, especially in an often unkind world.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to be kind to everyone, especially when we are not on the receiving end of it. Amen.

Worriers Or Prayer Warriors?

 

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Luke 12:22

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength."

—Corrie ten Boom

God does not want us to live in fear and worry. Yet all around us, every day we hear about tragedies, problems, and future threats. There is much to trouble our souls about. Fear and worry can become our constant companions. But that is not God’s best for us.

The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. Proverbs 8:1

Worrying is a very hard habit to break. It causes endless stress, drains energy, can cause loss of sleep, and in the end you will find that most of the things you worried about never happened or were nowhere near as bad as you imagined.

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3 

How much better things would go if we followed the advice in that verse about putting our trust in God when we are afraid. Instead we start looking for solutions to our fear, trying to solve things with our own strength. We generally end up back where we began with no solution. And eventually turn to God for help. How much better to start with God at the beginning of our fear and worry?

Let’s face it, most of the things that bring on serious worry and fear are not troubles or events we can solve on our own anyway. Yet God can directly help us by giving us insights, or He can bring people our way who have the answers. Often we simply need to be patient and wait upon God to bring about a solution. God guides and helps us in many ways with the big problems of life.

But what about the small stuff? Those little foxes of worry that nag at us and redirect our attention? This kind of worry is a terrible habit that a little bit of reasoning and perspective and continual prayer can help us to move past.

Whether your fears and worries are large or small, prayer is the beginning of the end of the fear and worry that plagues our lives. Prayer brings God into the picture. And with Him the solution to worry and fear. When faith kicks in–we recall that God is in control of our lives.

Prayer: Dear Lord, so often our fears and worries must seem laughable to You because You know and see all things, including the fact that most of our fears never come to pass. But even for those fears that do come to pass, help us never to forget that You are our Advocate and You will see us through it. Amen.

Have You Spent Time With Jesus?

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13 (NIV)

There is something different about people who spend time with Jesus. What was it that made disciples unique? They were fishermen. Not from the highest class of society. Others were despised, like Matthew the Tax Collector. These were not guys you would pick to be on the board of fortune 500 companies.

What made them unique was that they were taught by Jesus. They witnessed His interaction with people. He not only taught them, He showed them how to behave, how to act and react to the hurting and suffering people around them.

We can try and say: “But they had Jesus, you would expect them to stand out.”

Yet, Jesus told His disciples that after He was risen and His physical body left the earth He would still be with them, and us, and even more–He was sending The Holy Spirit to be within us.

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. John 14:15-20 (NIV)

First, when we become believers in Jesus, He sends His Holy Spirit to live within us. The Holy Spirit teaches, guides, comforts, and helps us to become more like Jesus. The Bible is The Holy Spirit breathed Word of God. And one way The Holy Spirit does these things is directly when we read His Word. We know what He wants us to do. We read words that exhort, comfort, encourage, and teach us. He also teaches us how to pray. We know that when we ask for things according to God’s will we are in alignment with God’s will on this earth. When we pray we draw close to the Lord and are in His presence. So just like those early disciples, we today should also be recognized as people who have been with Jesus.

While we too often fall short of that goal, it should always be our desire to reflect Jesus upon the earth. Not so we will get accolades, but so we can present our Lord to others without hypocrisy or worse, so we do not bring shame to His name as His followers.

The world certainly needs people who have been with Jesus. How wonderful it would be to see people everywhere reflecting the love of God.

One day I was in Walmart. One of the workers walked by me singing a hymn and beaming from ear to ear–filled with the joy of the Lord. I smiled thinking how nice that was and how it made me feel better just having a minor encounter with such a person. 

I know we have lots of challenges and troubles in this world. Too often it is far easier to complain and bewail our lot in life when in the midst of pain and struggles. But what if we could find reason to rejoice despite our pain and suffering? What if we could praise God despite our difficult situations? And what if no matter our circumstances, others could recognize we have been with Jesus?

Prayer: Dear Lord, Forgive the times we complain instead of praise. As we spend time with You in Your Word and Prayer fill us with joy. Turn our sorrows into praise. And help us to allow You to shine through us and to bless those around us. Amen.