#GOFAMINTDailyDevotion Sun. 6/8/2017
6/8/2017 LESSON 10
BLESSINGS FOR BEING THE SALT OF THE EARTH
Quarter’s Theme: CHRISTIAN ATTITUDE
Unit 3: Our Impacts (Lessons 10-12)
(STEWARDSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY MONTH)
Suggested Hymns: G.H.B. 9, 36
Devotional Reading: LK. 14:28-35
Topic For Adults
PRESERVING CHRISTIAN VALUES
Topic For Youths
ENRICHING YOUR SOCIETY
Topic For Intermediates
ADD FLAVOUR TO YOUR WORLD
Scripture Lesson
MATT. 5:13; ROM. 12:1-2; ACTS 8:4-8; 2 COR. 2:14-17
MEMORY VERSE
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. Matt. 5:13 (NKJV)
DAILY DEVOTIONAL READING
Sun. 6/8/2017
Do Not Lose Your Savour
Matt. 5:13
There is great blessing attached to living as salt. Our lives, our families and all that God has endowed us with should add value to the world. Being the salt, enriching your world, turning people to righteousness, showing them the way of salvation and evangelising by all means possible have great blessings. A lot of people today want to be successful and outclass their generations but employed corrupt means to achieve this, whereas the simple route to achieving success is simply by living as salt. In the book of Daniel chapter 12 verse 3 says, “And the teachers and those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness (to uprightness and right standing with God) shall shine [give forth light] like the stars forever and ever”.
POINT OF EMPHASIS: There is great blessing attached to living as salt.
PRAYER POINT: Lord, help me to live as salt.
BACKGROUND
Cooking and confectionery thrives with the proper application of condiments which eventually bring out the taste of importance among the few is salt. Salt is a natural substance especially used to season, preserve, enrich and flavor food. The world is tasteless. Christians are the tastemakers putting salt to halt the fast paced decadence in the society and also to make a difference wherever we are because salt makes all the difference. However, the strength, quality and value of salt is its taste. The Christian faith is antique, contemporary and also futuristic. The old path that is honorable should be preserved. Those of us living contemporarily should enrich what we inherited and not make it sour and those who are coming up should also add flavor. That is how the “soup” can continue to be tasty and blessed. You can’t be useful as salt and not get blessed; being salt attracts heaven’s applause and also attracts the blessings of God. This is the simple message of today’s lesson.
NOTES ON THE TEXT
PART 1: SALT PRESERVES (MATT. 5:13; ROM. 12:1-2)
Salt has some antimicrobial properties which means it has the ability to restrict the growth or action of microorganisms. This is the singular reason why it is used to preserve food items. Salting as a means of preserving food has been in practice for a long time as an old method and will continue for a long time based on this ability to preserve. Why has Jesus called us believers the salt of the earth and what blessings accrued unto us simply because of this?
The moral decadence, erosion of values and distortion of views away from godliness is so fast paced and alarming. As salt of the earth, we must stand as terminators in the cycle to police and arrest the progression in the small cocoons God has placed us to exert our influences; our families, our work places, our neighborhood and generally in the society. We must preserve our world from decay in standards, morals, values, view and straying from God and godliness.
Sin works by distorting relationship and access to God. It infects our mind with evil which is played out as ungodliness. As salt of the earth, we are impermeable, we are preserved from the distortion occasioned by evil infestation of the mind, we are preserved from the corruption brought about by sin which can break our relationship with God. This is a blessing for us and our world. Our relationship with God is preserved and our world is also secured for God.
PART 2: SALT ENRICHES (MATT 5:13; ACTS 8:4-8)
An important ingredient present in salt is iodine. People clamour for its inclusion in foods because of its functions in the body especially as anti-yoitre – a body deforming feature.
Our presence in our society should strengths like salt does. When Philip got to Samaria, there was great joy in the whole city. He lived as salt and enriched his world. What is your contribution to your world? There is great blessing attached to living as salt. Our lives, families and all that God has endowed us with should add value to the world. Being a salt; enriching your world, turning people to righteousness, showing them the way of salvation and evangelising by all means possible have great blessings. So many people want to be stars and shine trans generationally but have employed crooked means to achieve this whereas there is a simple route to achieving it by simply living as salt. Dan. 12:3 writes, “And the teachers and those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness (to uprightness and right standing with God) [shall give forth light] like the stars forever and ever.
PART 3: SALT FLAVOURS (MATT. 5:13; 2 COR. 2:14-17)
The strength, the quality and value of salt is its taste. Salt is known as tastemaker as most of the known seasonings have salt as their major component.
Flavour has to do with the senses of smell and taste. As believers living as tastemakers, we must also be of good aroma. We are blessed to have the treasure of giving taste and fragrance to our society. We are a plus, a very essential part of the society and we must not fail God. Our Father in heaven wants us to represent Him everywhere, He blesses us daily with the savor of His knowledge that helps us and equips us with the know-how for every circumstance. This causes us to triumph over “bad odours” and stinking situations with the fragrance He diffuses through us.
CONCLUSION
As salt is valuable to give flavour, strength, and at the same time preserve from decay and corruption; so is a heaven-bound Christian. He or she must be a godly example worthy of emulation and possess the positive effect of preserving others from being corrupt. He or she must resist worldly influence and never be trodden upon under the foot of men by the ungodly values of the world.
QUESTIONS
- Why does Jesus call believers salt of the world?
- As salt of the world, what must we do to avoid being influenced by the moral decadence in the world?
- What should the presence of Christians in the world do?
- Explain the term “we are blessed to have the treasure of giving taste and fragrance to our society”.
- Enumerate the blessings which the ‘salts’ in the world receive from God.
