Learning God's Precepts

 

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

 

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

 

Salt, one tablespoon in a pot of soup or Stew and it goes from bland to flavorful in no time, or heaped onto a piece of meat in the absence of a fridge or freezer and you extend its lifespan. 

Too much Salt in a pot of soup on the other hand and it goes from flavorful to unpalatable very fast - and because God is a masterful cook, He'll never add too much salt to the pot. So children of God, wherever we find ourselves, even if it looks like there's not enough of us, there is just enough of us there to achieve God's purpose - if we have salt in ourselves.

Salt also serves as a deterrent and is used to limit the movement of certain earth-bound animals. Growing up, my mum used to line the doors with salt to prevent ants from entering the house  after a huge tropical storm. as salt, we are to serve as deterrents and limit the encroaching of the enemy into God's territory.

And this is where the characteristics of Salt and Light begin to directly over lap. You see Light is used to give boundary to darkness, it's what we use to tell darkness - thus far can you go. So, when God sees that there's darkness over the deep in a place what does He do? Like in Genesis, He calls forth the Light and uses it to separate night from day. And God is still doing that today, but now the light is located within us. Because Jesus is the Life that is Light, and He dwells within us 

Light is used as a guide as an exposer. It helps us to see clearly so that we can make the right decisions and helps us to find hidden things. When I think of light as a guide, I picture a lighthouse, with lights that serves as a guide for travelling sailors. 

We are the light of the world, and like the light of the lighthouse, we are a city set upon a hill that cannot be hidden. And if men know not to hide under a bushel a light that has been set up as a guide, will God - who is Wisdom Himself - light us up hide us under a bushel? No. God has put the Light that is Life in us and His plan is that we shine brightly for the world to see. 

This brings me to the second part of these statements 

"Of the earth"

"Of the World"

We are not the Salt of the church, or Light of the church. And of course, Salt And Light should still be Salt And Light where ever it is found, but Salt is not being put to any real use if it is still in the  storage container. 

And though it feels great to be packed in the storage container, we can only truly feel the effect of salt when it being used. 

Same with Light. Usually, No one walks into a well lit room and thinks to themselves, let me turn on the light, no. It's when you walk in a dark or barely lit room that you begin to search for the light switch. 

Finally, I come to the last parts of what Jesus said.

" Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven"

These words are active, and what this means for me is that even though I carry the Light, I have a responsibility to shine it. And I've always wondered how? 

How can provide light to people who do not know that they're in darkness? How do I convince ingredients in a pot of soup that I am what they need to elevate their flavor? And what exactly is this Light? Since it's not as easily seen as physical visible light. 

This led me John's gospel - In him was life; and the life was the light of men. - the Light Is Life! 

So, then what is Life? According to Oxford Dictionary, life is the period between the birth and death of a living thing, especially a human being. Therefore life is everything we are and do while we're not dead in the body. 

So, our sleeping a waking, our eating and speaking, our thoughts and actions. And this is why in the book of Romans we are asked to offer it all as a sacrifice to God.

But so as not to digress from the current topic. We know that the Light is Life and that we are also asked to shine our light in good deeds. We know what the Light is, it's time to define what are Good deeds?

Jesus tells us in Mathew 19:17 that only God is good. This means that anything not of God is not good. So good deeds are God's deeds/works - please note that I didn't say church ministry, I said God's work. And from Genesis chapters one a 2 we can see how diverse God's work can be.

So, if good works are God's work, and Life is all that we do every day, and I have a responsibility to Shine my Light through life. This means that as Light that wants to shine brightly, the responsibility that falls to me is to ensure that my life is in alignment with God's will. That everything that makes up my life is in full alignment with the will of God. 

Obedience and submission to God, driven by love truly is the bedrock of our life/walk with God. And it is also the way to be both Light and Salt. Doing what God wants us to do is not the same thing as doing for God what we think He'll like. Mary has chosen the best option (Luke 10:2) – may we too chose the best option.