Sunny&80What does “Salt of the Earth” Mean in Matthew 5:13?
Posted on January 13, 2021
“You are the salt of the earth, but if the 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.” Matthew 5:13 ESV
God has good plans for us, but they require us to work hard in pursuit of His will for our lives. We must daily take up our crosses and decide to follow Jesus through every obstacle that presents itself. We must seek Christ as our greatest treasure and satisfaction.
What Did Jesus Mean When He Used the Phrase ‘Salt of the Earth’?
Jesus often chose common subjects to demonstrate His teachings. “Salt was so important and valuable that Roman soldiers sometimes were paid in salt,” wrote Greg Laurie for Harvest Daily Devotion, “Hence the expression, ‘He’s not worth his salt.’” Salt on its own is used for clearing roads and preserving food, but it also enhances the taste of everything it’s added to. Even in ancient times, “salt was a symbol of lasting concord,” the New Testament Greek Lexicon defines, “because it protected food from putrefaction and preserved it unchanged.”
What Does Jesus Mean by “Blessed are the Meek” in Matthew 5:5?
Posted on January 11, 2021
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” – Matthew 5:5
Jesus preached the Beatitudes to teach us what it means to have a truly repentant heart. Matthew 5:5 is included in the well-known Biblical text called the Beatitudes, “virtues that should characterize those who are ready for the kingdom and to assure them of blessing and reward when it comes” (Moody Bible Commentary). Meek isn’t a common word we use to describe someone. A deeper look at its true meaning explains why such a characteristic is a rare commodity. To be meek is to be kind and gentle, submissive or compliant, tame, and humbly patient or docile. God sees every part of our hearts, and His truth serves as a necessary guidepost to ensure we are living the way He has called us to live.
How to Love People You Struggle to Like
Posted on January 8, 2021
Think about someone you struggle to like. I bet it doesn’t take long for someone to float to the surface of your mind. This could be a neighbor, colleague, family member – anyone whose personality might not mesh so well with ours, or whose history is a messy tangled in our own.
We know what God’s word says – we’re to strive to love all, not just like the people we don’t prefer to be around… God calls us to the radical way of love. But what does that look like, to love those whose company we find grating, whose personality we don’t mess well with?
Here are 5 very practical, simple ways to begin to love the people you struggle to like:
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10 Prayers to Make your Time with God more Personal
Posted on January 6, 2021
When we sit down to pray, we bring a lot of baggage! As soon as we wake, our thoughts threaten to go rogue. Praying Scripture is a powerful way to reset our focus. God seeks a relationship with us, rooted in prayer and the study of Scripture. Through these divine methods of communication, believers experience the presence of God in their daily lives. His peace, which transcends all understanding, permeates the lives of those of us who choose to walk with Christ. We are continually enlightened by the way God connects His truth and our prayers to everyday life. May the following verses, and prayers that follow, inspire us to fix our hearts on who God is and what Christ has done for us.
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Picture Day
Posted on October 26, 2020
The windshield wipers squeaked and scraped across the windshield. Misting gray skies muted brilliant colors of the changing season. Wet blacktop swished in traffic, and dreariness attempted frame the day before it had barely begun. Slumped over, choppy breaths evidence of watery eyes, my passenger clutched a cuddly elephant. School picture day meant we would eventually frame 2020 and place it on the fireplace mantel.
“What’s the matter?” I asked her. She simply shrugged and could not say. The cumulative effect of this year’s anxieties have worn her to the core. She feels beyond my reach, at times, a helpless feeling for a mom. This has been a year full of infinitely more things I cannot explain to her, definitively. Her eyes waver back and forth to me and we both wonder what tomorrow will bring and how we can possibly brace for what it will be like. I want so badly to tell her when this will all be over, that tomorrow won’t be worse, and we’ll all get through it …together.
Under normal circumstances, parenthood illustrates our daily need for God. The author of Hebrews wrote, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he said down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”(Hebrews 1:3 NIV) The Greek Word for exact defines the instrument used for engraving or carving.
Numbers, facts, and circumstances change daily in our lives. The author of Hebrews assures us exactly where Jesus is. Our Savior sits at the right hand of the Father.
Unchanging truth comes from God alone. He knows the number of our days. Nothing changes it. God is the only One who can peer beyond what we see and experience in the present moment. His Truth, alone, is trustworthy and dependable. He is good, and makes good of all things.
God is personal. Reframe the truth as such. His greatest expression of love for me was Jesus, who came to earth and died on the cross to save me from my sins …and through salvation in the Him the Holy Spirit lives in me and my soul lives eternally with Him. When our lives are built upon this Rock of truth and our faith is rooted in God’s love, we wade through the really hard things with Him.
Why, then, is it still so hard for God’s Truth to make it past the lump in my throat today? I know Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, fighting for me. Why do I feel so powerless, my prayers seemingly ignored? Because the truth about the world we live in can be pretty grim.
The world’s unfairness isn’t just a fleeting feeling, it’s a magnified fact of life on this sin-soaked earth. There is real evil in the world, intended upon stealing, killing, and destroying us. Our enemy lies. When we feel we are surrounded by unfairness and evil, lies and manipulation …it’s because we are! It’s really hard, and it can make us feel hopeless and helpless to stop it or make things right. Especially when our kids are hurting and there’s nothing we can do to fix or ease the pain.
Perspective is our rescue. Knowing what is true allows us to see through a different perspective. One of wisdom, peace, hope and love. Jesus is the way we keep moving …because when we can stand anymore …He carries us.
Letting go is the hardest task in parenting. We ache to see our kids go through pain we wish we could prevent and steer them around. Imagine how God feels about us, when we are in pain, mistreated, hurt, manipulated, and taken advantage of? We have limited power on this earth to set things right, but He is limitless. God, though we don’t understand His purposes or His timing, is in control. We may be manipulated by media, but God is in control. We may be taken advantage of by corrupt leaders, but God is in control. We may not get answers to our prayers in the way and timing we want …but He does hear us …and He will answer.
The reality of my 2020 is- I don’t know what time I’ll pick my daughter up from school today. But, no matter if it’s normal pick up time and I have her favorite snack and cuddly source of comfort waiting for her in the passenger seat, or a hug and spirit that will share in her heartache and tears, we will turn on the wipers …drive through the cold misty rain …and go home together. And I’m thankful for that …for together.
Sunny & 80 …by Meg!
“Friends with Everyone,” by Meg Bucher
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Friends with Everyone Tween Study
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