Grace-Filled Saltiness

In Christ We Have Been Set Free From Sin,
Death, And The Power of The Devil

Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. (Col 4:5-6 KJV)

Being a bit salty is not a bad thing! But, being too salty without any grace can be a very bad thing! Usually the latter means a personal agenda is being relayed rather then the unbiased truth.

There was a time when being salty meant speaking the truth and living by it.  It meant being unpretentious; being yourself and true to your calling. Sometimes that saltiness bothered people who would prefer that everyone live by the acceptable standards the world had set. They were not willing to accept anything the they deemed the slightest bit eccentric. Today being salty means something more akin to being nasty and disrespectful. That, I think, could be because today when someone is salty they leave out any grace. There is no kindness in the way they present what they perceive to be the truth to others. 

When we speak the truth or live it, we may appear to be a bit salty to others so it is imperative that our speech and our actions always also be filled with grace so that the truth, which can definitely be a bit salty to those who hear it will actually be heard or seen. When we speak the truth to those who are not of the family of God we must speak it with gentleness; not shouting at or belittling others. They will shut you down and refuse to digest anything that you might say because of the overdose of salt we are dishing them out.

I have been worshipping with a congregation that has been being led by a grace-filled; yet, salty pastor. Brother Asa speaks the truth; gracefully, gently yet firmly with a bit of salt reminding us that we are all sinners in need of redemption and then full on grace.... in Christ we are forgiven our sins. 

Paul wrote to the Colossians that their speech should be seasoned with salt; but, always with grace. Be too salty and people get offended. 

May God grant us the wisdom to know how much salt we should or should not use to season our conversations with others.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Salty

You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. (Matt 5:13 NRSV)

I am a salt eater. I like seasoning in my food. My husband tries to avoid salt for health reasons. But, I do not. Often, when cooking, I will sneak a pinch in. I would rather have it absorbed into the food and not tossed on top of it. Tossed on top, the food becomes way too salty and the flavor of the food itself is lost.

I, like the food I eat, can be a bit "salty" at times. Sometimes, I have to apologize for seasoning my attitude just a little too much. But, I do not intentionally add salty language or attitude for the sake of effect. When I exhibit "saltiness" it is a part of who I am. It is mixed in with the rest of my personality or being.

My saltiness is particularly exhibited when I encounter Christians who claim to be Christians; yet, their lack of saltiness for the Lord and their false gods are clearly visible. Yes, I get a bit defensive and a little offensive when false gods rear their ugly heads in the world and "Christians" around me.

Long ago, I figured out that God did not intend for his people to be door-mats to be stepped upon like the salt that has been thrown out in Jesus' parable. He expects us to stand up and do the right thing. He expects us to worship Him and to follow in the footsteps of the one who died that we might live with Him.

I do not anticipate losing my saltiness. Sometimes, we have to be a bit salty so that the Word and will of God is known by others. We're not of much use if we sit around and let the Word of God be ignored or disrespected. If anything should be trampled under foot, it should be the false gods that we have a tendency to gravitate towards.

May your life be filled with the salt of life. May the Lord, the One God, fill you with His Word, with His truth, and with His life.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Too Salty? Nah!

“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot." (Matt 5:13 NRSV)

I admit, like an old sailor, I can be a bit salty. In fact, the older I get, the saltier I seem to become. This does not always please everyone around me. It does not please those who think that the word of God can be twisted around or manipulated to appease the world's self-serving agendas. 

I am not here to please the world; to serve others, yes; but, not to make everyone around me happy, happy, happy. The truth does not always fill egos with joy. But, the truth will set us free. So, it is imperative that we proclaim the truth, who is Jesus the Christ, at all times and in all places.  

There are times when I consider that my saltiness is just a bit too salty. But, there are also times when I think that maybe I was not salty enough. I let things slide and then I wonder if by doing that I have actually encouraged unfaithfulness to God. But, do not worry. I have been seasoned with age and I am only getting older and saltier. 

"As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."

                                                                            (Gal 1:9-10)

Have a blessed day in Jesus the Christ!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Salty

And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Col 4:3-6 NIV)

Being seasoned with salt has a variety of meanings today. For a younger generation than I, it may well mean being disrespectful; even a bully. Being a bully is not being salty. It is evil. Salt; after all, has been used over the generations in many cases to drive away what is evil; to purify; to preserve.

When I was growing up, I was taught that being "salty" meant to be a unique personality; a character. He or she spoke the truth, not to hurt anyone; but, because it was the truth. They lived and spoke in a way that was true to themselves and the truth is that not everyone understood them. Being salty means to me speaking and living the truth in a way that will benefit others by  bringing others to Christ.

Salt is not just a seasoning. It has numerous uses. I use it to chase ants and other bugs out of my yard. A little salt sprinkled on an ant hill will convince those pesky pests to find a new location for their home. But, salt is also a preservative. It helps to keep our food from rotting away. It helps to keep food consumable for a long time to come for our benefit. A little salt is a good thing. Too much salt, as in the case of bullying, can destroy.

Likewise, conversations seasoned with a little salt can help the soul from developing rot from the inside out. Paul wrote to the Christians in Colossia that they were to season their grace-filled conversations with salt.

Yes! Yes, indeed! We ought to make sure that our conversations are filled with grace; but, not just grace for the sake of not offending. We cannot lie for the sake of grace because that is no grace at all. We must proclaim the truth and sometimes the truth will make us sound just a little salty as the lies of the devil are uncovered. It is the truth, who is Jesus the Christ, that will make us whole. Our words and actions should always be full of grace; but, we cannot forget to season them with a bit of salt when necessary. And... it is often necessary so that the mystery of Christ can be proclaimed most fully. As it has been said: grace, grace, and only more grace is no grace at all. We cannot accept anything that will lead others away from faith in Jesus Christ. We cannot say that it is all good. Not everything is good; so sometimes, we need to be reminded to season our conversations with salt so that the truth can be proclaimed and the truth will set others free to be children of God.

May God help us to season our words and our actions with enough salt that the truth, who is Jesus the Christ, will be proclaimed so that those who hear will know the truth and the truth will set them free.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Season Your Words With A Bit Of Salt

Season grace with salt.

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Col 4:5-7

Salt can be a very good thing. When I grew up being salty meant being unmovable in a rugged sort of way. Being a bit salty was not a bad thing. 

Salt is good in the appropriate amount for the occasion. Our bodies need a certain amount of salt (sodium) to function properly. A lot of salt is needed to move a pesky ant hill. Not so much salt is needed to flavor food. Salt poured on a wound might sting; but, it helps in the healing process. Salt can be a good thing.

It does not hurt to be a little salty. Always full of only grace, with no salt (admonition to confess)added, is no grace at all, as my former mentor and teacher, Dr. Karl Keljo, often reminded me.  Being a bit salty is a good thing. But, just as grace and more grace and only grace can do damage; so can being overly salty.

May God grant us the wisdom to know how much salt we should or should not use to season our conversations with others.

God's Peace - Pr. J