“THE GREATEST AMONG US ARE THE SALTY”
In our modern world, we worship the corporate big-wigs, bitcoin guru’s and online YouTuber successes that pepper the landscape. So why are we being REFINED and TRIED by God in 2024? The answer seems apparent in that we seem to have gotten off track and focused on wealth over God’s purpose for our lives. We tend to “Sprinkle” God on our life as opposed to salt our life with conviction, God’s Word, and our individual calling from the Lord.
DISCLAIMER: I wish that I could do motivational talks from the Bible. I could actually, but that’s not what’s in the Bible. The Bible is very, very encouraging, but not in the way think of being humanly encouraged. God’s Word is designed to get us excited about and encourage us to live more like HIM daily. As such, I in most of my posts, I write what God calls me to report as depicted in and through His Word. I pray you will invest your time more deeply in my community and allow iron to sharpen iron. Trust me-I have to be sharpened first before I write each post:). As always, thank you.-Steven
THE NEW FOCUS: I believe that the Church and Christian body in general has enough voices telling us: “Your Best Life Now”. I agree in that we are not guaranteed tomorrow, and the good old days are behind us, so we ought to be focused on “today”. The problem is that the book mentioned above speaks in terms of obtaining and enjoying the financial success, comfort and the temporal comforts found only in the present. In contrast, a Scottish pastor once wrote that the next time we go to a funeral, stop and stare into the casket-and allow the past to instruct your future. The Scottish preacher was biblically spot on while “Your Best Life Now” is secularly spot on.
As believers, we can enjoy the comforts of this world in proper perspective of God’s spiritual success. What is God’s spiritual success? Better yet, what makes a successful Christian in God’s eyes? For starters, it has nothing to do with money but the heart’s desire as to where we place our treasure, or what we freely choose to make our treasure. When we miss this, we justify God’s blessing us with so many great worldly things, that we relegate Him to a dispensing machine for our worldly enjoyment. This sadly is the current state of the American Christian for sure. Money is good, but the LOVE of money is the ROOT of ALL KINDS of EVIL.
“For the love of money is A root of ALL KINDS of evil. Some people eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:10 ESV). While money is the root (or cause) of ALL KINDS (not all) evil”, it’s NOT “THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL”. Let’s get that out of the way for starters. I have come to the conclusion that very few people can handle wealth, power, and authority without letting it go to their head. Two exceptions to the rule is the infamous investor, Warren Buffet and Truit Cathy, founder of Chix Filet.
Warren Buffet and S. Trüit Cathy (born March 14, 1921) who started Chix-Filet in 1946 under the name of “The Dwarf Grill” are rare exceptions to the rule. Despite being the 6th richest person in the world, Warren Buffet at the current age of 93 (born August 30, 1930) still lives in the same modest home he purchased in 1958 for $31,500.00 He still eats a sausage-and-egg McMuffin, and a large Diet Coke at McDonald’s every morning. He lives a simple, frugal lifestyle while many of us Americans’ live in large homes, mired in debt. Buffet has made clear that he is leaving money for his family, but the vast majority of his money will be donated, because hard work produces character and gives value and appreciation to the wealthy one possesses.
THE POINT: is that it’s not money, food, sex, power, recreation, or anything else that is bad. It’s how we view and use these things. Sex outside of marriage is bad. Sex inside of marriage is good. Power, money and resources used to the glory of God is good, but used selfishly or with people or organizations who don’t use those recourses properly (even Christian organizations) is bad. We must excoriate “wise generosity”.
It’s our human sinful flesh who take God’ blessings and place them before God, our pursuit of God, and our God given mission. Again, most people, including Christians can’t handle great wealth, power and influence. But a few can. Most of us, if honest, assume that it’s easy-peezy and that we are one of the few greats who can handle such success and wealth without it going to our head. Most of us are wrong.
If you think that’s you, I want to challenge you to go to God in prayer, read His word, and come to a sober, 100% conclusion as to where you stand. Then order your time, focus and finances accordingly. Let’s look at Mark 9:49-50 and dissect this very short part of the passage to see what Jesus is telling us in today’s truth passage.
“49 For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” (MARK 9:49-50 ESV)
OK-WHERE ARE WE GOING WITH THIS STEVE? THESE TO VERSES DON’T SEEM TO FIT THE NARRATIVE! Let me explain: The monolithic point of these two verses is that when we lose our saltiness, we focus on the things of this world above God-period. Let’s break the passage down to show what Jesus is telling us.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN IN THIS PASSAGE WHEN IT SAYS “SALTED WITH FIRE?”
The word “FIRE” in the phrase “SALTED WITH FIRE” is probably not the fire of judgement as it is in VV. 43 and 48. “SALTED WITH FIRE” appears to be parallel with being “salted” in v. 50, and there it seems to be a “good” thing. “FIRE” in VV. 49-50 may refer to the refining and purifying that will take place as His followers are persecuted, and they will be persecuted because they are different from the “non-salty” world. Even though the salty distinctiveness would attract opposition, they were never to “HAVE SALT IN” [themselves] (maintain their unique flavor, I.e. their counter-cultural values and influence in the world, as in Matthew 5:13-16). This is just as true for you and I today as it was when Mark wrote this in circa 50-60 A.D.
The word “FOR” shows that Mark intended his readers to apply the preceding verses to their “own lives”. “EVERYONE WILL BE SEASONED WITH FIRE” may refer to the trials and judgments that all will face-believers with refining trials that purify faith, unbelievers with the eternal fire of God’s judgement. For the latter…just as salt preserves, everyone who enters hell will be preserved through an eternity of torment.
“HAVE SALT IN YOURSELVES”. Jesus made clear that His followers are to be permeated with this preserving power, which influences the world for good.
IN CONCLUSION: As Christians, we must experience persecution, trials and refining to understand what is most important in life. But even refining trials don’t always catch our attention. For example, compare Cathy, founder of Chix Filet who was born in 1921 to Buffet who was born in 1930. Truit was 25 and Buffet was 15 when World War II came to an end. The “Great Depression” 1929-1939 was an event that both of them experienced in their childhood. The point is that both went through very difficult trials, during a period in history when Christianity was the center of American culture.
Cathy clearly lived out his faith publicly and God blessed he and his family greatly for that. According to the Good News Dispatch in an article titled “What Does $62 Billion and Matthew 16:26 Have in Common? Düring one of the infamous Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting, a man around 30 years old stepped up to the microphone, in the midst of 31,000 people, and asked Mr. Buffet, the worlds richest man, if he know and had a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Without hesitation, Mr. Buffett responded, …”No, I am an agnostic, I don’t know whether there is a God or not. Maybe when I die I will find out but I don’t know”. https://www.goodnewsdispatch.org/buffett.html
How has Buffett lived his life so rightly according to Scripture while so many people, including many Christians live life today less Christ centered? How did an agnostic, non-Christian do that? The answer in that Buffet was born into and grew up in a country, community and a devout Catholic family in Mississippi and Alabama. Today, anyone born in America and the West in general is bombarded with get rich quick YouTube adds and the like. Today’s culture values a get rich quick mentality, often disrespecting others while taking advantage of others trying live life with good character, honesty, truthfulness. That’s the sober truth. In the end, we have two choices. We can either emulate God and see leadership as a servant role or live and lead as the secular world says we should in using others for personal gain. This effects how we think, live out our life, how we conduct business and how treat others. Today’s passage ends with HOW we are to treat others.
“HAVE PEACE WITH ONE ANOTHER” aptly ends Jesus explanation of servanthood begun in v.35. Though they as well today can expect antagonism, from the world, we today, as the readers did at the time Mark wrote this epistle, MUST BE AT PEACE WITH ON ANOTHER”. Looking back to 9:33, we find the inappropriate conversation between disciples regarding who is “THE GREATEST” among them in light of Jesus’ command to be at peace. Jesus was clear when He walked the earth then as He is today that as Christians, we ought to strive for excellence, but should not be clamoring to be important. When we see ourselves special, we are especially foolish. When we seek to elevate ourselves up above others we more often than not do so by (consciously or unconsciously) putting others down. We want others to do well, but not better we have or are doing. In the end, THE GREATEST OF US MUCT BE THE SALTY. Truit Cathy of Chick-A-Filet was the greatest. Warren Buffet, while he was very modest and kept his head on his shoulders well, will soon meet Jesus. What will $62 Billion get him then? He will have missed the greatest opportunity to impact the world through a salty life for Jesus Christ. I challenge you to take today’s lesson seriously. All of us are effected by materialism, power etc. It’ spart of American culture at present. Let’s take lesson from both these great men and then live life rightly according to the Greatest man of all, our Servant Lord Jesus Christ.
