The Unfun Task of Being Salt

"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."

Matthew 5:13

Salt seasons your food, freezes your ice cream, and keeps your car from sliding on an icy street. It soothes your sore throat, counteracts the bitterness of acidic foods, and makes water boil faster.

And it makes you really thirsty.

Jesus said, “Ye are the salt of the earth.”

Salt is pinched, tossed, passed, and shaken. It's kept in boxes, tins, shakers, and bags. It is thrown in water, sprinkled on raw meat, spun around and around inside ice cream freezers, and dumped on highways.

Jesus said, “Ye are the salt of the earth.”

Salt is versatile. Its use depends upon the need. And Jesus said, “Ye are the salt of the earth.”

Salt is applied in various ways. Its application depends upon the need. And Jesus said, “Ye are the salt of the earth.”

It is interesting to note in the Sermon on the Mount just where Jesus slipped in the comment about His people being the salt of the earth. He had just finished reminding them that they will be persecuted for righteousness. And right after He tells them that they are the salt of the earth, He launches into a lengthy discussion about how important it is for them to obey the law - but not just the rules of the law, but the principles and spirit behind those rules.

Very little of the world's vast quanities of salt is resting quietly inside cut crystal shakers on marble-topped tables in five star restaurants. Most is being used to help something else become better and will be unnoticed in the process. No fun. No flamboyance.

The Christian life is a great one, but it was never designed to be a life of luxurious leisure. The call is not to line up for an earthly coronation, but to present yourself for the Master's service. Wherever and however He chooses. It's about righteousness and obedience.

Jesus said, “Ye are the salt of the earth.”

Live righteously. Obey God’s word.

Be what He needs. When He needs it. Where He needs it. To be applied as He prescribes.

You are the salt of the earth.


©2007 Doug Ellingsworth

A Pastor's Vision

Apostolic revival and church growth will never be achieved by a cold-hearted application of business principles. Before any business method will spur a church forward, there must first be a spiritual hunger that drives a pastor to be possessed and led of the Spirit. A fire must burn in his soul. Passion must beat in his heart. He has got to know where he is going. He must know that he is following the direction of the Holy Ghost in pursuing the goals that he has set. That assurance will only come in concentrated and intense prayer that is part of a consistent walk with God.

Being committed to working for God is not enough. The Holy Ghost must be the pastor’s motivator. In his leadership lectures, Nathaniel J. Wilson, pastor of The Rock Church in Sacramento, California, points out that Saul of Tarsus was a man with a mission, but until he had a spiritual encounter and received a vision from the Lord, he was killing instead of building. A man’s burden and desire to please God must be strong enough to drive him to pray and fast until he can see the vision that God has for his ministry and the church that he leads.

The spirit does a work that cannot be accomplished by any other method. No book or lecture, no pilgrimage to any holy shrine, can have the profound impact upon a man that compares to a holy encounter with God. It not only empowers the person, but, if given free course, will change the way he thinks and will adjust his values and expectations.

There is no way that a preacher can be equipped to deal with the myriad of issues that this mach-paced, out-of-control society spawns unless he has a fervent and close relationship with the God who watches over it. This mind-affecting work of the spirit is essential. Gordon Sullivan, in his book Hope Is Not A Method, says that “without the tough up-front work of intellectual change, physical change will be unfocused, random, and unlikely to succeed.”

Our vision must flow from a mind that has been transformed by the Holy Ghost. That doesn't come by reading books. It only comes when we spend time in His presence.

©2007 Doug Ellingsworth (From a series on strategic planning)

Why Should I Be Thankful?

Ask Matthew Henry who was robbed of all the money he had. In his diary that day, he wrote: “Let me be thankful first, because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, because, although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed”.

The Heart of Leadership

The heart of leadership is integrity.

Let that simmer in your mind for a moment.

Dishonesty may hide behind talent and skill for a while, but the rotten fibers will eventually corrupt the whole cloth, and what lies beneath will be exposed. It is simply a matter of time.

God pointed this out when He mediated a dispute within the very first human family. Cain was mad at his brother. The Lord tried to reason with him, but Cain refused to listen. God’s short statement to him remains a warning to us. If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door (Genesis 4:7).

Purposely choose to do something other than right and sin will ultimately be your ruin. It is only a matter of time. Cain’s lack of integrity - his refusal to be honest with himself - drove a wedge between him and his brother, his parents, and his God.

No integrity? No leader.

An old banker told me that being honest is like being pregnant. You either are or you ain’t.

It is big news when a Christian leader is caught in sin. Bigger yet if his sin involves sex or money. Watch out if it includes both sex and money. The media will dance with glee for months. Another hypocrite exposed! One more shyster revealed!

If it were possible to rewind the years and review choices made by those who have fallen, we would find that most of them did not have a sex or money problem. Yes, those two were ultimately their downfall, but the real issue, the silent killer, was a lack of integrity. Adultery and greed get all the headlines, but the fellow who determines whether you succeed or fail is always integrity. Somewhere in the history of the fallen they willingly made a decision that compromised their integrity. It may have seemed to be a small matter at the time, but corruption is like a cat. It will slip through the smallest of openings. Give it no chance.

Work to improve your talents, strive to increase your knowledge, but let integrity always be your first, and highest, priority.

©2007 Doug Ellingsworth