THE SALT OF THE EARTH

Time with Jesus - 13 Sept 2013

Hi all,

For a change, I thought it would be worthwhile to look at one of the most widely used substances in daily use - Salt. Jesus said His people should be like salt. ¹³ "You are the salt of the earth! But what good is salt if it has lost its flavour? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. Mat 5:13 NLT 

Based on the fact it’s so commonly used, we think we know all about salt and what He meant. So let’s look at “salt”.

Salt, also known as table salt or rock salt (halite), is a crystalline mineral that is composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound. It is essential for animal life, but can be harmful to animals and plants in if used excessively. It’s one of the oldest, most ubiquitous food seasonings. It’s an important method of food preservation. The taste of salt (saltiness) is one of the basic human tastes.

Salt for human consumption is produced in different forms: unrefined salt (such as sea salt), refined salt (table salt), and iodized salt. It is a crystalline solid, white, pale pink or light grey in colour, normally obtained from sea water or rock deposits. Edible rock salts may be slightly greyish in colour because of mineral content.

Because of its importance to survival, salt has often been considered a valuable commodity during human history. However, as salt consumption has increased during modern times, scientists have become aware of the health risks associated with high salt intake, including high blood pressure in sensitive individuals. Therefore, some health authorities have recommended limitations of dietary sodium, although others state the risk is minimal for typical western diets.

In the Old Testament, thirty-five verses mention salt. One of them is the story of Lot's wife, who was turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back at the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:26) as they were destroyed. When the judge Abimelech destroyed the city of Shechem, he is said to have "sown salt on it," probably as a curse on anyone who would re-inhabit it (Judges 9:45). The Book of Job contains the first mention of salt as a condiment. ⁶ Don't people complain about unsalted food? Does anyone want the tasteless white of an egg? Job 6:6 NLT

In the New Testament, six verses mention salt. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus referred to his followers as the "salt of the earth". The apostle Paul also encouraged Christians to "let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt" (Colossians 4:6).

Koshering salt, usually referred to as kosher salt, is a variety of edible salt with a much larger grain size than some common table salt. Like common table salt, kosher salt consists of the chemical compound sodium chloride.

Courtesy Wikipedia

One of the best known verses in the New Testament, if not in the entire Bible, is John 3:16. Most Christians are able to quote it. ¹⁶ "For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NLT There is one word in the verse few of us consider meaningfully. It’s the word “perish”. 

According to Collins Thesaurus of the English Language, one of the definitions of the word is, “rot, waste away, break down, decay, wither, disintegrate, decompose, moulder. e.g. The rubber lining has perished.

Those who have used rubber hot water bottles know that if the rubber perishes, it is useless as a hot water bottle. It looks like a hot water bottle, but cannot be used for that purpose. It has to be thrown away as useless. It could perhaps be thrown on the rubbish heap or into a land fill site or even into hell. So a perished hot water bottle has to be discarded or recycled, if possible. 

Think for a moment about “salt which has lost its savour”. It may look like salt, but cannot be used for that purpose. What can be done with it? Nothing at all! It too must be thrown away as useless. We might say it has perished! 

However, salt which has lost its savour can be put to a different use. It’s no good as a preservative but could be spread on foot paths or dirt roads much in the way it was done in Jesus’ day. In this way its use would be for people and animals to walk on. Could it be recycled? Perhaps science can do so. Otherwise it has no further value.

Junk Yard for Perished Perishables
and Other Useless Trash

There is a strong association between people who have “perished” and Christians who have lost their “saltiness”; their savour. Certainly, Jesus is in the business of “recycling” people who are of no further use to God. These are the ones who have perished. He is able to recycle them. But what about Christians who are no longer “salty”; those who have lost their “savour”? It seems they have lost the very qualities that mark them as a Christian. It seems they have only one purpose. To be “thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.” Mat 5:13 NLT

Trampled On

If we lose our Christian identity; our saltiness, we are hopelessly lost. Can we be recycled again? Don’t ask me! Ask the Lord Jesus.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Thrown on Pathways to be trampled underfoot

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – 13 Sept 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	These devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it is for non-commercial Christian purposes					©
	INTRODUCTION		DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	THE SALT OF THE EARTH
If I asked you what you thought was the biggest problem which most Christians have to face today, I rather suspect that most people would say “Embarrassment”. It’s a sort of off-shoot of the fear of man. One of the best examples I can think of is what happens in the local restaurant when the staff gathers round you and sings, “Happy birthday to you!” Most of us blush. We don’t like this sort of attention. There are times I’d like to crawl under the table and hide rather than face the knowing stares of others. Like a tortoise I’d like to pull my head and feet into the shell and play dead! At the same time we revel in it when we send the staff to sing “Happy Birthday” to others. I rather think many of us are like this. I’ve tried to avoid it by keeping my birthday and anniversary dates under lock and key. I could always find a good reason for not telling enquirers the “incriminating evidence”. As the years go by it becomes increasingly difficult keeping this a secret. I’ve often wondered how a person can stand at a pulpit and deliver an inspiring sermon in front of dozens of people, without a second thought. But when your birthday is in the church notices for the purpose of asking people to phone you, the day becomes something of a nightmare. The phone rings. You’d like to ignore the incessant ringing. But in the end you pick up the receiver sheepishly knowing what’s going to happen. There is a cheery voice gushing over with the news that you are a year older. At times I’d rather forget! Sadly, embarrassment carries over into everyday life. We would like to testify to the goodness of God and our commitment to Jesus. But we are too embarrassed to do it. It’s stupid, but many of us are like this. We all want to be different. But we also want to be well liked and well thought of by others. We know we have become a “Jesus Freak”. But nobody likes a freak! So we sort of gulp and say nothing. The same attitude is reflected in what we wear. The idea of wearing a brightly coloured tee-shirt with the words, “Jesus love you” is somehow worse than singing an aria from Carmen! The good news is that Jesus knows and understands. The bad news is that He wants us to grow up and get over it! He expects our light to shine brightly and not be hidden under a pot. In simple terms He expects us to influence society in much the same way as salt changes the “society” into which it is placed. If the salt in you and me is not changing our society in some way, our salt is tasteless and useless. Notices how He describes its final end. “Thrown out and trodden underfoot by men”. There are two ways to look at this. One is to see the salt as not serving a useful purpose. There is another and, in my opinion, a worse outcome. The “useless salt” gets thrown onto the pathway of life and is walked on by the people of this world. Oh it does serve a purpose. The feet of men trample on it and it becomes more useless than it was. People do not know what its purpose was. How can they? It’s hidden under their feet. Things will not change until you and I “rise up” from beneath their feet and allow our saltiness to be seen. There really is no choice. Somehow we must ask Him to give us the strength to provide the flavour of Jesus to change the world. He will not use compulsion. But if we do nothing, that pathway could be a grave from which nothing will ever escape. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			13 "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavour? Can you make it  again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. Matthew 5:13 NLT	Salt is a preservative, it also disinfects. It also is a flavouring a master chef respects. When it isn’t present, your food you cannot taste. This means, that on occasions, the food will go to waste. But there are other purposes. In fact there’s many more. Which one was Jesus meaning? I think we should explore, What many people used it for, way back in Jesus’ days. To help us come to grips with what we find the Bible says. One of the surprises was to fertilize a field. When mixed with other minerals, it caused the ground to yield, A larger crop of vegetables than any they had known. So for the local farmer, a bigger crop than sown! Its antiseptic uses, the midwives knew quite well. They “washed” a new-born infant with salt. The child would yell And tell the anxious fathers the child was doing fine. But in the drier areas, they used camel urine! They couldn’t waste their water; they needed it to drink. So salt mixed with the urine. Worked just as well – I think! They also had a ritual; a Covenant of Salt; Was often celebrated for family feuds to halt. This covenant was permanent. It wasn’t put aside. It was a lasting guarantee, like husband to his bride. It never could be broken. The only way was death. And people swore to keep it, until their final breath. We cannot live without it. I had a long-time friend; A very helpful fellow on whom you could depend. He had a “pet aversion” to that which he could taste. A very “fussy eater” whose actions were misplaced. He couldn’t stand salt’s flavour. He’d push his plate away, If he could even smell it. This happened till the day, They thought that he was terminal; they all wanted to know, The reason why this person’s health had reached an all-time low. They did a special test on him, to find the reason why, And found his low salt content was causing him to die! They put him on “salt tablets” and in a day or two, He was restored to normal; the man whom they all knew. Now Jesus is omniscient. He knows about these things. He knows what lack of saltiness, to many people brings. And that’s what He was saying when speaking on that day. He meant if you’re not salty, you will be thrown away. If salt has lost its usefulness, it isn’t any good. Where can you dispose of it? You’d use it if you could. But it will not cause damage if its throw upon the road. If people walk upon it, it helps to spread the load, So folk will not fall over and sink into the ground. There is no better purpose than ever to be found. So keep on being salty, that other men may know, That Jesus is the only way a person ought to go. Jim Strickland Written 13th Sept. 2012
			4 You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. 1 Peter 3:4 NLT
			23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 1 Peter 1:23 TNIV
			25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, John 11:25 ESV
			36 And they will never die again. In this respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the resurrection. Luke 20:36 NLT
			23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Romans 1:23 NASB
			9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8:9-11 ESV
			42 It will be like that with bodies that are raised from the dead. The body that is planted does not last forever. The body that is raised from the dead lasts forever. 1 Corinthians 15:42 NIrV
			0 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another." Mark 9:50 ESV
			29 Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. Ephesians 4:29 NLT

JIMMETS – PS 118:7 and 1 COR 10:13

Time with Jesus - 12 Sept 2013

Hi all,

Juke Box

We are told he was the richest man who ever lived. How his bank balance stacks up against Bill Gates or some of the Arab oil Sheikhs is not really known. However, in his day he was obscenely wealthy with worldly goods. There was nothing he couldn’t afford to buy. I understand, some of our modern billionaires have so much money, if they use a $100 bill to light a cigarette, their income increases faster than it takes the $100 bill to incinerate. For you and me, such wealth is incomprehensible. Literally, they can buy whatever they want and scarcely feel it.

The man in question had 700 wives and 300 concubines. If he took 1 of them to bed every night, it would take 2.73 years before he could begin again! Is this variety, gluttony or stupidity? It’s probably a bit of all three. What about power? There was no one to challenge him militarily. Moreover he was thought of as the wisest man alive. So wise, the Queen of Sheba came to see him. She was astonished. We are referring to King Solomon.

King Solomon & Queen of Sheba

In the light of this, there is little wonder the man wrote, ⁸ “Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content. ⁹ History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before”. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Eccl 1:8-9 NLT

Today, the vast majority would think that if he/she was all powerful, immeasurably wealthy and with the physical ability to indulge in a similar sexual lifestyle, they would be happy! King Solomon’s words indicate the fallacy of this!

I’m believe God allowed Solomon to experience a place where he could do whatever his heart desired. God did this for many reasons. Probably the most important was to demonstrate, through the life and experience of one man, if all man’s desires and greed were provided for, there would still be absolutely no satisfaction! 

We are told that the easiest way to stop someone doing something, is to allow them to do anything they want. I’m reminded of a story told to me by my grandfather. At one time he worked for a company called “Needlers”. They made chocolates. At the time, Needlers Chocolates were said to be among the finest obtainable in UK. When he went to work there, he thought his appetite for chocolates would be satisfied. He had visions of bringing boxes of chocolates home for family and friends. 

When he started work he was told that he could eat as many chocolates as he wanted. There was no limit imposed on his hunger for their products. At first, he says he, “tucked in” and enjoyed whatever his eyes desired. He found, over a period of ±2 weeks, his appetite for chocolates decreased. He arrived at a place where he didn’t want to eat any. He was satiated with chocolates. He added that he could buy boxes of “seconds” at a good price. There was nothing wrong with them. They looked “odd” so were not suitable to sell in the shops. It wasn’t long before family and friends no longer had a “taste” for chocolates.

Is this the same sort of thing that happened to Solomon? Did he find that after 1000 women, he had no interest in another? If he owned 1000 Arabian horses, would he want a few more? If his treasury was overflowing with diamonds, rubies, other precious gems, gold, silver coins and possessions, did he really want any more?

To answer these questions, read Ecclesiastes. It reads a bit like the confessions of a man who has had everything and is utterly bored with it all. It’s clear he has nothing to look forward to! As a result, everything is meaningless.

ECCLESIASTES 1:2	Trans
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; vanity of vanities, all is vanity	ASV
Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.	ESV
"Absolutely pointless!" says the spokesman. "Absolutely pointless! Everything is pointless."	GW
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity	KJV
Vanity of vanities, says the preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.	MKJV
Smoke, nothing but smoke. That's what the Quester says. There's nothing to anything--it's all smoke.	MSG
"Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher, "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity."	NAS77
"Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher, "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity."	NASB
"Everything is meaningless," says the Teacher, "completely meaningless!"	NLT
"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."	TNIV

For convenience I’ve included a table of 10 Bible translations all quoting Eccl. 1:2. Coming across in them all, is the sense of the writer’s frustration about everything on earth. (Under the sun being understood as on our planet) He is not referring to “heaven” where God reigns. What could you and I possibly offer this man? He’s done it all!

Christians always have something to look forward to. Indeed, because Jesus Christ is our future, we need never descend into feelings of meaningless frustration. The opposite is true. We are always able to anticipate tomorrow in the Light of Jesus Christ, the Word of God. Quoting from Isaiah 64:4, Paul wrote to the Corinthians: - ⁹ That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him." 1 Cor. 2:9 NLT

If anything, you and I can look forward to the future, in a way King Solomon never could. We need never say, “Everything is meaningless." On the contrary, we can rejoice in all the Lord has done and is doing for those who love Him.

Today’s meditation focuses on two verses of Scripture. Both of them are in Jimmet style.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Gears and Wheels Don't Grow on Trees!

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – 12 Sept 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	These devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it is for non-commercial Christian purposes					©
	INTRODUCTION		DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	JIMMETS – PS 118:7 & 1 COR 10:13
Today’s Scriptures and meditation were “tailor made” for writing a couple of Jimmets. Both of them remind me of my early days in Christianity. I seem to recall, we did much more singing back then than we do now. Perhaps this is a subjective opinion, brought about by what we used to refer to as “Old Man Syndrome”. As a young man in the 1960’s, the “old men and women” didn’t seem to have any time for the latest modern music. Now things have gone full circle. It’s the folk of my generation that get irritated with modern music. I’m tempted to ask if it really is music. But I’ve thought better of it! I’m reminded of a UK TV programme in the early 1960”s called “Juke Box Jury” It was one of my favourite programmes in those days. The compere, David Jacobs, would play one of the latest musical releases and ask the jury to mark it out of five. The younger members of the jury always gave a favourable mark. The older ones didn’t. I suspect it was this question and answer time between each song that the audience enjoyed most. One young girl – she must be in her 70’s now, would listen and in a deep Somerset accent say, “Oi Loikes it, Oil Bouy it and Oil give it foive”. The audience would roar with laughter. The most amusing incident I recall was when one of the older members of the jury appeared with a peg on his nose. He said that the noise was bad enough. He couldn’t face the smell. Over the next couple of years, music changed. We went through a marvellous time when Dave and Dale Garret recorded “Scripture in Song”. They had a gift of being able to find tunes suitable for singing various Scripture verses. Some 40 years later, I still find myself “singing” those old songs. It was because it was the way I was able to memorise Scripture. Today the easiest way for me to remember the first few verses of Isaiah 61 is to sing them. Never loudly of course. It wouldn’t be appreciated. The first Jimmet is an extrapolation of Psalms 118:7. As I read, it I’m reminded of singing “Who is on the Lord’s side?” The Scripture states “The LORD is on my side as my helper”. It’s not exactly the same thing. But if He is on my side, logic tells me that I’m on His side. That must be the connection in my mind. One of the first Scriptures I committed to memory was 1 Corinthians 10:13 Back then the only readily available translation was the KJV. It follows that the Scriptures memorised were all in King James translation English. No doubt people memorise verses today, from one of the more recent translations. That’s fine. But somehow there is something about the KJV that still appeals to me. I must confess that many times I don’t understand the KJV meaning. That’s when I look at other translations to get a “feel” for it. This is why the Scripture quotations in the middle of these meditations are from different translations. My “Daily Light” is from the KJV. So I try to find a Scripture which I think brings out the best meaning. Sure it’s subjective. But it helps me. The 1 Cor. 10:13 has been of great help. Through it, I’ve started to understand that everything I’ll ever experience, has been experienced by Jesus and or those who have gone on ahead of us. It’s comforting to know that Satan can’t dream up anything new, that will ensure his success over us. It’s also good to know that Jesus is fully in charge. Satan can’t stop Him. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			7 The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. Psalms 118:7 ESV	PSALMS 118:7 We know that if the Lord is on our side, We’ll look in triumph, at the ones who hate Us with a passion which they cannot hide; And constantly are seeking to berate, God’s people. Lord, that’s why we look to You. You have been our helper through the years. Thank You there is naught that they can do, And they’ll become a victim of their fears. O Lord is there a possibility, That You will change them? Lord for this we pray. It would be so wonderful to see. Them following You, Master, every day. Though it seems the chance is very slim, Without You Lord, their future is so grim! Jim Strickland 1 CORINTHIANS 10:13 You’ve said that no temptation comes along, That ever in our lives we’ll have to face, That can’t be overcome if we are strong. That’s why, O Lord, You’ve granted us Your grace. Our trials and our temptations aren’t unique. Other men of God have faced them too. You have strengthened them when they were weak; And the time has come for us to do, What they did. To stand and not to yield. The enemy may come in like a flood; And tell us that our fate is surely sealed, But, we have the power of Your blood. And that Master, You will show the way, To escape; regardless; come what may! Jim Strickland Written 12th September 2012 Scripture in Song
			For the choir director: A psalm of David. 1 In times of trouble, may the LORD answer your cry. May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm. 2 May He send you help from His sanctuary and strengthen you from Jerusalem. Psalms 20:1-2 NLT
			5 May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory and raise a victory banner in the name of our God. May the LORD answer all your prayers. Psalms 20:5 NLT
			7 Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the LORD our God. 8 Those nations will fall down and collapse, but we will rise up and stand firm. Psalms 20:7-8 NLT
			19 So they shall fear the name of Jehovah from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of Jehovah shall make him flee. Isaiah 59:19 MKJV
			13 No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 MSG
			31 What should we say then? Since God is on our side, who can be against us? Romans 8:31 NIrV
			6 The LORD is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? Psalms 118:6 NLT
			17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. Daniel 3:17 ESV