Are you relevant?

When you think about what makes a delicious meal and a downright concoction you consider the spices that go into flavoring the dish. Too much salt or not enough determines the relevance of the dish. Matthew 5:13-16 is the scripture from which this topic was dropped into my heart. What makes you relevant? What do you count for? How are you relevant in the Kingdom, in today's world?

Jesus says in this passage that you are salt and you are light. That is, you are what gives this dish called life, flavor and what causes those in the dark to see the Light (Jesus). In Potiphars house Joseph was the salt, he brought flavor to his master's house- no wonder Potiphars wife tried at all cost to taste him!! Genesis 39: 3 says that Potiphar saw that the Lord was with him. That is the salt and light in Joseph. 

I like how the Message translation put this scripture, Matthew 5:13-16; "Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you loose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. Here's another way to put it: you're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a lightstand- shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in Heaven." This just makes perfect sense. It means you matter to God and because you matter He wants you to shine, He wants you to stand out. He wants people to see the light in you and experience the flavor. Let's look at it as a formula if you will;

                           Salt-Seasoning + God-flavors = A Taste of Godliness

 What are those salt-seasoning's? : A life submitted to God (i.e. Born again, spirit filled, sanctified, etc.) Plus God-flavors (according to Galations 5:22-the fruit of the spirit): Love, Joy, Peace, Goodness, Long-suffering, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Self-control, Kindness equals A Taste of Godliness which is a life that expresses the awesomeness of God. A life dedicated to God that exemplifies God, i.e. worship, service, obedience, sacrificial living, a lifestyle of holiness that pleases God (Romans12:1). Once you consider yourself to be "Born again", meaning you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and you have decided to have a change of heart and a renewing of mind that is described in Romans 12:2, your secular life becomes a thing of the past and you begin to stand out, then there is a mandate for you to be relevant. There is a mandate to be relevant as our earlier scripture in the Message translation tells us that we are light that cannot be hidden, we have been set upon a hill to stand out and that others may see us and desire to join us to also be light that shines. No matter where you are people will see that light in you. Your boss should know why you are so brilliant, why you are so joyful and always optimistic. Why you say "it is well" in every circumstance that you face. Your classmates should know why you don't cheat on exams like the rest and why you are always the one that scores highest on all class assignments.  Your colleagues should know that because you are salt and light you will not compromise your standards. Mmmm....... When you are salt and light your 'Yes' is 'Yes' and your  'No' is 'No'. The only explaination that those around you will have is that you are a Christian and you don't hide it.

By my third year of working with the city of New York, I had made up my mind about allowing work to keep me from attending mid-week services. So on Tuesdays my supervisor was in the habit of announcing sarcastically to the unit that I'd finished my work early that day because I was headed to Bible study-and I would joyfully respond saying that she was absolutely correct. So she knew me when it came to the things of God, and the next day she would ask what Bible study was about and I gladly shared. 

When you are salt and light in this world, you are the change you want to see. During my training with the city of New York to become a Child Protective Specialist we were told that we were to be change agents. Our responsibility is to effect change in our clients according to the laws and guidelines of the agency. So as salt and light we are to effect change by the Word of God which is truth and life. We don't complain about what is not being done and how things are being done, we get things done and when things are done we say with confidence like Olivia Pope "It's Handled"!! When you are salt and light you can't afford to let the short comings of others hold you back from achievement. The church today has begun to loose its flavor because of other people's shortcomings. Nowadays most of the flavor comes from the youth and the older generation feels the flavor is too much. But God has a plan for all of us in His kingdom. Joel 2:28 helps us to see how important all generations are to Him. He said He will pour out His spirit on all flesh; verse 28b says "...your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams and your young men will see visions." This is the joy of relevance in that we all matter to God and there is something spectacular we are meant to each achieve. 

As salt and light you are unique and there is a confidence about you that is void of arrogance, you talk different, you walk different, you behave different. You shake the haters off! You are not distracted by the non-chalant attitude of others. You know you are fearfully and wonderfully made. David was hated by Saul because Saul saw everything he was not in David; the salt and the light. But David was not distracted. To be salt & light is to know you have a purpose, to know there is a destiny ahead of you that you must fulfill.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame features the names of Hollywood stars that have made a great impact in the film and music industry. The streets of Heaven are lined with gold, will your name be engraved in the Heaven Walk of fame?What will you do to be salt and light? How will you combine salt-seasoning with God-flavors to create a taste of Godliness in this world before Jesus comes back?  

In the book of Haggai 2:23 God said He had chosen to make Zerubbabel, His servant, like a signet ring. That is like a brand for His name, a seal, an emblem. What an honor for Zerubbabel just because he dared, despite all odds, to rebuild the temple of the Lord. He obeyed God's command and just that easily he became relevant in the Kingdom and he entered Heaven's Walk of fame. Don't you desire such an honor? Then dare to be relevant.

OSF