14,000 uses for salt. Day #39 in my journey to a Revolution.

My prayer is that today I will have an opportunity to invite someone to church.

This coming Sunday at my church is a celebration over those people that have made a commitment to Christ and want to declare it publicly. They will be baptized. I was thinking about baptism in relation to the discussion from yesterday about keeping our relationship with the Lord private. He modeled declaring what you believe publicly which was why He himself was baptized in Matthew 3:13.

What are other scriptures that talk about the need for sharing with others?

1. Matthew 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  Jesus gives us several verbs of action – GO, MAKE, BAPTIZE.  That is our calling as believers. We are to be in action.

2. Matthew 5:13 “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 by men.”  What does salt do? Why should we be like salt?  Salt brings out the true flavor in something that may lack flavor. (If we are not adding flavor then are we just a bag of salt?) Salt acts as a preservative and keeps food from decay. Before refrigeration, meat was packed with salt so that it wouldn’t spoil. Salt can bring healing to an infected wound. One website I found said that there are over 14,000 uses for salt (www.saltworks.us/salt_info/salt-uses-and-tips.asp). It listed among others that it can remove blood from clothes, it can make water boil faster, it can relieve the pain from a bee sting, remove dry skin, kill poison ivy, etc. The list goes on and on.  My pastor always says that God gives us the things we can see to help us understand the things we cannot see. He gave us the physical form of salt and all its uses to help us see His power. With Jesus in us, he can remove the blood stains of sin. He can preserve life and heal our wounds. It says in Isaiah 53:5 “By his wounds we are healed.”

3. Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world.”  What does light do?  Light helps wake you up. It can boost your mood, curb your appetite and balance your energy levels. Light gives warmth. It illuminates a room. Light helps things grow. Light provides energy and transfers energy. Light helps you see. You do not realize that you are in darkness without light. With Jesus in us, we can help wake people up. We are called to illuminate a room. The only way people know they are in the dark is if they are in the presence of light (Jesus).

What other scriptures talk about the need for sharing with others?  Look them up and comment below.

3 or 3 1/2 miles. Day #23 in studying the Bible and praying

As I study John 6:16-21 this morning, my prayer is that I’ll really understand this passage and that the Holy Spirit will give me insight.

Here we have just seen Jesus feeds over 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Then, it says in verse fifteen that Jesus withdrew again to a mountain by himself. Then the disciples set off across the lake for Capernaum. It was dark and Jesus had still not joined them. A storm comes and after rowing 3 or 3 1/2 miles they see Jesus walking by the boat and they are scared. He tells them not to be afraid and they let him get in the boat.

There is our story. My pastor always says God gives us the things we can see to help us understand the things we can’t see. What are the things we can see from this story?

1. The disciples are in a boat. Jesus is on a mountain.

2. They are in the midst of a storm.

3. They have rowed 3 or 3 1/2 miles. Jesus walked 3 or 3 1/2 miles on water.

4. The disciples are afraid of Jesus

5. Jesus says don’t be afraid and they let him in the boat.

There are other accounts of this night in Matthew 14:22-33 and Mark 6:45-52. They may offer extra insight for us. In the Matthew account we see that this is where Peter walked on water to Jesus in the midst of the storm. In the Mark account, we see that Jesus is watching them from land in the midst of their struggle with the storm.

What can I apply to my day from all this?

1. Don’t be afraid of the storm. They are inevitable. I look at the storm as a trial in my life. They will happen but my reaction is key.

2. Jesus walks by them when they are three or three and half miles away from land. They were only halfway through the trial and he meets them at that point. How often does Jesus do that for me? Maybe he’s watching from the sidelines and steps in at the exact right moment. It may feel like He is isn’t there but we can see from this passage that he is watching all along. He sees my pain and frustration and allows me to go through some struggles before He makes himself evident in the storm.

3. Peter walks on water because he was willing to get out of the boat. One of my favorite books is by John Ortberg If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get out of the Boat. John brings so much insight into this passage. We alot of times focus on the fact that Peter sinks and needs Jesus’ help but we forget he did the impossible by walking on water. He risks the safety of the boat to  experience the impossible. Am I sitting in the boat? What is my fear?