Does Your Life Reflect The Light Of Jesus Christ?

““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. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 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. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬-‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We continue working through the greatest sermon ever preached on this earth. The Sermon on the Mount was the central message and call to righteousness our loving Heavenly Father calls for. A heart submitted to Jesus Christ can achieve this level of righteousness, not by our doing but only through being in Jesus.

If you missed the first post in this series, you can find it here:

https://standingfirminfaith.com/blog/what-does-it-mean-to-live-as-a-child-of-gods-kingdom/

“”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.

What does it mean to be the salt of the earth?

Let’s look at some of the properties of salt:

1. It is used to season foods, making them more palatable. If our food is bland, we will add salt to make it more tasty.
2. It can make us thirsty. It will also cause our bodies to retain water.
3. It has cleansing properties. It can help us remove fishy smell from our fingers.
4. If you are from the north, you know that salt is used to melt snow and ice on the roads.
5. It is also used as a preservative.

“So, let’s look at how this applies to us being the “salt of the earth.”

Do our lives as Christians create a thirst for others to have the joy we experience? If we are not experiencing joy, we must bring this to the Lord; something isn’t right.

Does our life create the desire in others to want the life-giving water that only God can provide?

Is our life melting away the frozen hearts of those around us?

We are called to persevere to be constantly moving forward. We are losing ground if we are not moving forward in our faith.

We do not want to be a flavorless Christian. We can lose our usefulness for the Lord if we become complacent in our walk with Him.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 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. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

A result of true salvation will be a changed life. What we say, think, and relate to those around us will change.

This change will be evident to others. Your choice to live a righteous life will make others uncomfortable. There will be persecution by those who knew the old you. They want the old you back because the new you and the light you shine expose the sin in their lives.

But this exposure is the first thing they must come to terms with. We must recognize that we are sinful from birth, and the only solution to that sin is the cleansing blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

We are called to be a witness that Jesus came to this earth, and that will be evident in our changed lives. He gets and deserves all the credit for our changed lives. When Jesus departed this world, the Holy Spirit came to this earth, and the sole purpose of the Holy Spirit was to point us towards Jesus. And with the Holy Spirit in our hearts, this is precisely what our changed life is to do.

Some ask, wouldn’t it have been easier to bring us to heaven when we were saved? Some believe that we are already there. I find this an interesting point to ponder. So why leave us on this earth?

To be a witness for Jesus Christ.

‘I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. ‘ John 17:11-23

This was a prayer from Jesus to his disciples and extended to us. Our lives as Christians are to glorify God and to point to Jesus.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for Your Truth. Thank You for the saving grace that You have provided through Jesus.

I pray that my thoughts, actions, and words glorify You. Let the change in my life point to the work Jesus does in my heart.

I pray that when others see me, they see Jesus centered in my heart.

In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen!! 🙏❤️