“Be in the world, Not of the world”
There is a good chance that you may have heard this phrase before. Two key concepts that this phrase is derived from are:
Salt and Light
Jesus said these words about these concepts:
Matthew 5:13-16
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.
It is easy to see why Jesus chose these two items. They are drastically different from their surroundings. There is nothing quite like Salt and Light. Especially in the 1st Century when Jesus spoke these words. You needed Salt and Light and if it went away you were in trouble. If Salt lost its saltiness it was no longer valuable and if Light was hidden it wasn’t good for anyone.
So it is with us as followers of Jesus.
We are Salt and Light and once we are no longer that, we are no longer fulfilling our purpose.
This is why it is so important for us to be able to be in this world and not of it.
We are supposed to be different so that we can make a difference like Salt and Light are supposed to.
In our time today then I am going to rework the first statement and put it this way:
In order to make a difference in our world, you have to know it, but you can’t become it.
Now more than ever our world needs the voice of those that follow Jesus. Yet it cannot come from a place that looks like, mimics, smells like, or appears to be the same as this world. There are too many voices claiming the name of Jesus that look like the world they live in. We have lost our light and our flavor.
This has been a slow shift over time. We have incorporated worldly tactics of arguing and screaming and belittling each other rather than serving and loving and caring. We so desperately want to win the momentary battle which causes us to lose sight of the eternal consequence of our actions.
In light of all that has happened in 2020 and the beginning of 2021 I think we are watching the results of our losing our salt and light and now the purpose for why we are here is being trampled underfoot.
Jesus came to this earth and made a couple radical statements as to why He was here:
Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
This is what it looks like to be Salt and Light. I know that we would look different, smell different and be different if we too focused on these things. As Jesus’ followers this is our mandate, to be more like Him.
It is time that we start doing this way better than we are now. Let’s know our world, so that we can speak into it, but we can’t become it. As we start doing this, we have to let God take care of the rest. I guarantee He will and we will see His will come to fruition and not ours. Let’s start now!!!