Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

Well, it was another Sunday in Bowersville Ohio.  If you missed the previous OFH regarding this little town in the Buckeye state, it is home to Bowersville Church of Christ, the first church my folks attended when they were a little younger than my son Ian.  It is also the church they served in during those early years.

In recent weeks, this little, but robust congregation has been down a worship leader.  She just had a baby.  Might want to pause here just a second and ask you to pray for the baby, she is struggling a bit with several “feeding” challenges.

My dad has been filling in from time to time leading music and was slated to cover for her the last couple of weeks.  But a pesky illness has kept him befuddled and “grounded”.  He is another one that would covet your prayers.  As a result, I dusted off the vocal chords and joined my mom for another wonderful morning.

Filling in for their Pastor who was spending some time with Mickey and Minnie this week, was on of the church’s elders, a doctor and long-time member.  And he shared from a very familiar passage, but one I found most resonate for today’s OFH.

Matthew 5:13-16 New King James Version (NKJV)

Believers Are Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Like I said, pretty familiar stuff.  But as he mined into the analogies of salt and light, he pulled something out that I hadn’t really caught before.

Jesus said, WE ARE salt and light.  Not we CAN BE salt and light or that we SHOULD BE or COULD BE salt and light.  No, WE ARE salt and light.  As Christians we have been ASSIGNED these two jobs.

We ARE SALT therefore we are to “flavor” the culture around us, influence it, enhance it, slow its decay.  We ARE LIGHT so we are be illuminators; bringing the light of CHRIST into the dark places that we navigate. 

Again, these “assignments” are not optional. 

They are expectations.  

And if we don’t embrace them, we run the risk of being “good for nothing.”

YIKES!

Remember the gospel is often CAUGHT rather than taught.  And as we embrace our S & L assignment those around us will hopefully be able to EXPERIENCE our “good works” and thus glorify the Father and bring more to a relationship with Him.

I know that this is elementary today, but I want you to cling to this nugget.  When we CHOSE JESUS, He EXPECTS us to engage our culture, influencing it, flavoring it, and illuminating it. 

Stott said it this way, “We should not ask, ‘What is wrong with the world?’ for that diagnosis has already been given. Rather we should ask, “What has happened to salt and light?”

That is us!

HAVE A BLESSED DAY!

Love all of you

OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE

Pastor GDelaney