13
¶ Ye are the salt of the earth: but if
the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth
good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Salt that is ruined, that has lost its taste is good
for nothing. It becomes adulterated and worthless. So does the Christian when
he mixes with the world and adopts the world’s view of what is good.
Eve was tempted with three things; Genesis 3:6 ¶ And when the woman saw that the tree was good
for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to
make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto
her husband with her; and he did eat.
In 1 John 2:15-16 the Christian is warned about
these very things;
1
John 2:15 Love not the world, neither
the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the
Father is not in him. 16 For all that is
in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
So, when we view satisfying the flesh as our main
pastime as in, “good for food,” and, “the lust of the flesh,” we turn our
hearts from God. When we place what is, “pleasant to the eyes,” or rather, “the
lust of the eyes,” in a position of preeminence over Christ we fall into sin
and destruction. When we place education, learning, and position in the world
in place of God as in, “to make one wise,” and, “the pride of life,” we look
away from God.
Adopting these standards makes us worthless and
useless to God. We are like salt that has lost its saltiness. The world has a
god and it is not our God. The world worships Satan through its love of Self.
(relevant verses: 2 Cor. 4:4; Luke 9:23; Galatians 2:23; Romans 6:11).
Jesus gave this warning;
Luke
16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men;
but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is
abomination in the sight of God.
So, examine yourself, Christian. When you stuff your
face at your favorite restaurant "down the ocean," spend a wad of cash on that big screen TV on 'Black Friday' after waiting in line for hours,
and fight like a rooster over that promotion at work are you salt for Christ in
front of other people? Remember what Jesus said, everything that mankind holds
up as a lofty ideal or something worth living your life for God regards as not
just a less important matter, but as an abomination. Doesn’t that make you
question your values?
When you are worthless to God, be sure that the
world will trod you under foot. Your devotion to its goals will get you nothing
of value, nothing that lasts. To quote the great and lost writer, Hemingway,
from his book, A Farewell To Arms, “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong
in the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very
good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of
these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry.”
When you have given up your value to
God in pursuit of the things the world holds as important you, a useless
Christian, will be trodden under foot by the very world you chose to serve
rather than God.
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