Taking Jesus Seriously
It’s one thing to know what Jesus says, it’s another to take it seriously.
In one of Jesus’s most famous teachings, the Sermon on the Mount, he says that you and I are to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
Matthew 5:13-16
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Sounds good! But what does it look like to live that out?
Think about it: When you take a bite of under-seasoned food, it’s obvious. When your power goes out and you can’t see, you notice.
Both salt and light exist to enhance an otherwise dull or unpleasant experience – they exist to be noticed.
In our case, it’s not about being noticed for our own sake or hitting people over the head with Jesus, but if you have a relationship with Him, you’ve got the thing that EVERYONE needs.
And what good is it if you know Jesus but keep His goodness to yourself?
To take being salt and light seriously, I think we have to be willing to go into the places, do the things, and have the conversations that no one else wants to. When it’s messy and uncomfortable, when we disagree, when we just don’t like what we see… what would it look like to love in those places? To serve in those places? Instead of distancing ourselves, how can we, as people who love Jesus, bring light to dark places?
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