Daily Devotions – Have salt in yourselves

Daily Devotions – Have salt in yourselves

 

 

Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart:

Mark 9:42-50 (NIV)

Causing to Stumble

42 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. [44] 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. [46]  47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where “‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ 49 Everyone will be salted with fire. 50 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

Jesus’ teaching, where he declares that we are the salt of the earth, is a wonderful blessing. It means that we as Christians have been “given the ball”, so that our actions will make an actual difference in people’s lives. Immediately with this blessing, Jesus gives us a warning: “If salt loses its taste … it becomes worthless”.  Jesus wants us to appreciate the gravity of the responsibility he has given us. Today we are looking at a similar teaching of Jesus from Mark 9, where Jesus gives us a practical application of what “salt losing its taste” looks like. We lose our taste when we cause others to stumble. This is so serious, that it is better to “cut off” our hand or foot to stop the damage. Jesus used this graphic language in order to shock us into cutting off any source of persistent temptation in our lives. This leads into Jesus’ main statement: “Have salt in yourselves”. This is another way of saying “Have God’s purity and love in yourselves”. From this, we are able to “be at peace with each other”. Pray for the Spirit to help you see which bad habit or thought is hurting your ability to be the ‘salt of the earth’, and for God to cleanse you so that you can be a better agent of peace.