JULY 26, 2023 – HAVE SALT

READ: Mark 9:40-50

For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another. – Mark 9:49,50

The Lord Jesus continues His conversation with His disciples. They should not exalt themselves above others who serve the Lord in a simple manner. They should also be careful not to become a stumbling block for them, causing these people to lose their faith. God will judge that. It is better to lose your own life than to cause others to stumble and lose their faith. 

The disciples themselves can also lose their faith through temptation. Therefore, it is better to have a hand, foot, or eye removed if it would lead them to sin and apostasy, rather than being eternally lost in the fires of hell. 

What the disciples hear, applies to us as well! Whoever thinks they stand, let them be careful not to fall (1 Cor. 10:12). There is also a profound word about self-denial. We are all tested with fire, just as an offering is cleansed with salt. The Lord tests you when making choices. By not participating in sinful practices, you may lose friends. By freeing yourself from sinful church practices, you may lose the bond with your family. Joining the church of Christ can lead to persecution. These trials result in drawing closer to the Lord. 

The salt of the gospel cleanses, but it also preserves! As long as the gospel remains pure and is not mixed with personal ideas. Otherwise, it becomes tasteless and loses its effectiveness. It no longer serves its purpose. The cleansing and preserving effect should also take place within and not just on the outside. Then it also brings about peace in the church.

Do you recognize the preserving effect of the gospel?

Singing: Ps. 66:4