When Jesus sat down on a mountain near the Sea of Galilee to give what would prove to be His most famous sermon, he gave simple instructions to his closest followers. The words were simple, but incredibly difficult to obey. This sermon changed the way a believer would approach life. “Bless when cursed. Love when hated. Do good when wronged. Turn the other cheek. Go the extra mile. Abstain from sin even in your mind or in your words.” The list goes on. Yet, before Jesus taught those ideals, he laid this foundation: Believer, you are salt and you are light. For the believer to seize this sermon and resolve to live it out, it must be acknowledged that there is purpose, divine purpose.

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Living out the words of Jesus from the rest of the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7) will ensure that you are salt in a tasteless world. Ever received an order of fries that had missed the salt shaker? You probably returned them or rushed to find a salt packet. It’s just not quite right without the salt.

Today, our society offers every flavor of every thing you could ever want. You can take your pick! Yet, how tasteless, how worthless the end of that road is. The addict needs the fix yet can’t really even taste the product anymore. Don’t be tricked into thinking this only applies to drugs and alcohol! The home, the church, the bedroom have all been caught in this snare. You can take your pick of how you want to live your life to ensure that you are happy. The result: our homes are falling apart, our children are turning away, and our churches are bland. We are the Baskin Robbins generation. You can have your pick of whatever flavor you like. All these choices, yet people feel unsatisfied.

Pass the salt!

If ever there was a time when light was needed, it is today. This generation is drowning in the misery of its darkness. Our young people are so exposed to evil that their minds are being blinded (2 Cor 4:4.) Their hearts are being stolen by wickedness. And sadly, there are few places where light is shining.

Today, we have the light that is needed. Who would have something so useful and hide it? Let it not be us. Let it be said of us as it was said by Isaiah in reference to Jesus beginning His ministry:

the people dwelling in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
on them a light has dawned.”

Do you feel like we are a people “dwelling in the region and shadow of death?” I do. But we have hope! We have a future! We have light! Let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine.

At ACS, one way we want the light of Jesus to shine through us is in community involvement. God has given one of our teachers the vision to get groups of our students serving in our community in various ways. We need your help! Will you please consider what need might exist that we can meet? Perhaps there is yard work that could be done for someone not able to do it or a project appropriate for students to complete. Our desire is to offer a few avenues by which ACS students can volunteer this spring.

Please email me at dposton@athenschristian.com if you have any ideas. Please be as specific as possible and give any necessary contact information.