Salting it Up!

Almost everyone enjoys flavorful foods. A little spice saves the blandest of dishes and rewards the chef with praise and return patronage.

God feels the same way about His people. Matthew 5: 13-16 tells us that we are to be salt and light to His world. 13 “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. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

How do we do this in a Country that has started to gnash itself apart with political bickering? The temptation is to become lukewarm, mamby-pamby Christians.

Last Saturday, the Gaithersburg Book Festival landed me smack in the middle of our modern world. As I set up my table with the two Christian books I've written, two other Christian writers introduced themselves. It was great to feel their fellowship around me.

Also nearby was a cult that was giving away copies of the Bagavad Gita and trying to entice festival-goers to learn more about meditation. Yet another group labeled JW turned out to be the Jehovah's Witnesses.

God rather clearly showed me in my spirit that we are in a battle. If we don't show up or don't bring our faith with us, others with dangerous beliefs are still going out to battle. By ceding them the territory, we are doing the opposite of what Jesus is talking about in Matthew 5.

Pray that God will strengthen us with His Spirit to recognize and take advantage of the opportunities to share the Gospel, to pray for hurting people and be salt and light to a dying world.

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When you support Christian books, music and movies, you are helping to spread the light of the Gospel. Most of us have bought a fair amount of secular art and entertainment in our lifetime. When you buy, you are enabling the artist to produce more of the same - whether it be for God's Glory or man's. Energize and nourish your favorite writers and artists who are currently in the fight and you just might find yourself encouraged by what you read, hear and see.

If you haven't done so, check out my new book, Driver Confessional. It is available on my website and anywhere fine books are sold.