Salt and Light: FOCUS!

There are a lot of things we end up craving for, yearning for, and even lusting for. But every time we find ourselves reaching for something, STOP and ask: Does God want this for me?

It's not really easy to pause every time, and I mean EVERY time, we start wanting something. But we HAVE too.

There are SO many things in this world that are just too LUSCIOUS for us; even as Saints, we are not immune to the idea of "craving." We will ALWAYS want things, it's part of what we are as human beings.

What do we do then?

FOCUS!

Staying focused is as simple (simple, not necessarily EASY) as always stopping and asking yourself. In this case, as a Saint, it's about stopping and asking GOD:

"Lord, is this what You want for me? Would this bring glory to You? Am I being a good Saint by pursuing this?"

Our ultimate goal as Saints is to bring GLORY to God.

FOCUS!

We have to focus on our calling, we are called to be SET APART. To not be like everyone else. Sometimes it's really easy to say: "Oh, this is okay. Everyone's doing it." But we are NOT like everyone else, we are SAINTS!

Our goal as SAINTS is to be SALT AND LIGHT on earth. It was straight from Jesus' mouth, as recorded in Matthew:

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house." (Matthew 5:13-15)

Salt is EXPECTED to be salty. And light is EXPECTED to dispel darkness. And Jesus goes on to say:

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)

We are like walking signboards displaying His glory. Everything we do SHOULD reflect Him.

So back to whatever it is that's luring us. Does having a craving for it glorify Him? Does it help us maintain our "SALTINESS" on this earth?

FOCUS!

There are a lot of things, thanks to the media and our twisted sinful nature, we end up thinking to be "okay" things -- not inherently good, not inherently bad. But I'm here to tell you, there really is no such thing as GOOD nor BAD. There's only one way of classifying things: PLEASING or NOT PLEASING to GOD.

Take the temptation of Jesus in the desert for example. (Matt. 4: 1-11; Luke 4:1-13)

The suggestion to turn stones into bread seems to be an attempt to persuade Jesus to satisfy His immediate physical need outside of God's will. ... Though I believe Luke 4 is primarily an attack on the person and Messianic work of Christ, there are surely lessons for us: Satan desires that we take the initiative to meet perceived needs outside the way and will of God. We are tempted to seek possessions, pleasure, position and power. On His part, Jesus submitted to His Father's will regardless of personal consequences, comfort and convenience. -- Derek Newton (Principalities and Powers)

Jesus too, as human, had desires -- some were as simple as being hungry after not eating for 40 days and 40 nights.

In the Bible, we can see two distinct ways of dealing with desires, cravings, wants, etc.

1) Jesus, as Derek Newton pointed out, His temptation is the desert is a clear picture of the things we humans want: "possessions, pleasure, position and power."

and

2) Esau, as I've posted in "The Saint Communes: Blessings," was also confronted with his earthly desires. He was hungry after a whole day of hunting, and so did not care about his birth right and sold it for a bowl of soup.

Thing is, Esau GAVE IN. He allowed his humanity to take over him. As for Jesus, He stayed focused on His status as Chist, and held on to the COMMANDS of God.

FOCUS!

We, like Jesus, have a status we must hold on to: we are SAINTS. We carry around Christ is our daily lives. That's the whole idea of being SALT and LIGHT. Salt, when added to food, makes things salty. Light, when placed in a dark room, lights it up. WE, when placed in this world, SHOULD HAVE SOME EFFECT ON IT.

Salt is ONLY salty, it cannot be both salty and sweet. We can only either be: glorifying God and showing people HIM, or just going with the flow and fading into "everybody else."

So in everything we do, in everything we want, and in everything we do for the things we want always keep in mind: we are SAINTS, salt and light of the earth. It's not easy, but hey, we are SONS and DAUGHTERS of the Most High God! His Spirit is our power, all we have to do is ASK. When it becomes too tough? PRAY.

As the song goes: "We fight our battles on our knees." (We Are United)