Salt of the Earth

There are a lot of taste buds in our mouths (about 10,000 for humans), but many do not know that the only taste receptors on our lips are that of which detect saltiness. In Matthew  5:13 Jesus says, “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.” This seems random and kind of bizarre to be talking about salt, but this comes right after Jesus is talking to the multitudes on the mountainside. He is describing the blessed, the chosen, and the people that are “not of this world.” Jesus is describing that when we are filled with his spirit and face trials and tribulations we do not respond because of the circumstances but because of the great gift we have in Him. It is the zeal, the zest, the flavor that comes out in us that is different… or should I say salty. Rejoicing in suffering is not a normal reaction, but one I am trying to grasp and understand at a heart level. I have been seeing that in all my sufferings I feel like people “don’t understand” or letting someone in will allow for pain to occur so I have created this false hard exterior that I think protects me but truly is preventing the Gospel transformation in my life. If I say I trust Jesus with everything, but say I can’t trust men, I contradict myself. Jesus was God, but he too was FULLY man and FULLY can sympathize with all sufferings (Hebrews 4:15-16).  Seeing that it is not my personality to be controlling or dominating helps me see that this sin was paid for on the cross. Psalm 147:3 is one that I have been clinging to this past week and see that it will be one I will have to be constantly reminded of. It states, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Well this means that I have to confess that I am broken and needy for healing in areas hurt that were years before I came to know Christ. This is so good for me, but if any of you know me, showing this weakness and fear in my life has definitely been hard.

 This last week I have been learning a lot about being the salt of the earth;  to live, respond, and even act radically for Jesus.  My time here is limited but even more so is the fact that my life is a mist in the light of eternity. (James 4:14) In just 14 days I will be on a plane returning to the States and honestly I do not know how I feel. I am not ready to say goodbye and at the same time I am excited to see that salt here in South Africa is the same salt that is salty in the states, that my urgency for the Good News to go fourth does not dissipate because I return to the comfort of being home or being around people more like me but the zeal, the zest, and flavor of God’s love for the nations and for people to be reach will continue.

Recently I started another book by John Piper called Battling Unbelief. In the chapter about pride he says, “When we boast in our wisdom we show that we have turned from God to trust in ourselves. We disclose that our satisfaction is not first in God’s infinite, primary wisdom, but in our derivative, secondary capacities.” Shame!! (a response we hear often in South Africa… kind of like our WOW!) That hit me hard as I am pursuing my nursing degree, planning for graduate school in my future and aspiring to get my doctorate. All that is for nothing if I am not dependant on Him who is ultimate! This chapter ended with Jeremiah 9:23-24, This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD.

I do not know about you but the three things that I learn to find comfort in is my wisdom (from experiences to my academics), my strength (let’s call it an appearance of strength through building a falsie wall around my heart or taking kickboxing classes to add to my intimidation factor) and my riches (the worldly gifts from clothes to my car that I cannot take with me when I die). It is a shame that I trust in these things instead of God who holds CREATION (yes all of it) in his hand! Why would I ever trust in myself! Piper was right… the self was never designed to satisfy itself or rely on itself, we are dependant creatures that long for Jesus to break into our lives!

I am sorry to say this is going to be one of my last blogs while I am in South Africa. We have the Unashamed Camp next week where there is no internet connection and then our trip to Cougar Park where we will be pitching tents and hopefully seeing wild AFRICAN animals!! I will try to blog after these experiences, but with moving out of our guest house in Jburg, I do not know what my internet availability will be.

Please be praying for the Camp and for our last two weeks here as we have to say goodbye forever to many sweet friends.

Genesis 31:49