"A Word"
From Your Shepherd

Dr. Leland (Gus) O. Flaherty

Past "Words"

E-mail Pastor Gus

     Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (found in chapters 5-7 of Matthew's Gospel) is a powerful condensed version of what should characterize a person's life in the Kingdom of God. In keeping with the theme of this year's Spiritual Adventure, the principles you read about in these 3 chapters of the Bible give you a pretty clear idea of what a "Life on Loan from God" looks like. I want to point your attention to 4 verses found in chapter 5 of Matthew's Gospel, Matthew 5:13-16. Here Jesus says, "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 by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
     Salt and Light. Two very common things that we all are very familiar with and that we use every day. Jesus uses these common, everyday elements to teach some important lessons about living a life on loan. In Jesus' day, salt was used as a flavoring. But even more importantly, salt was used as a preservative. Rubbed into meat, a little salt would slow decay. We are living in a time when moral decay in our land is running rampant. As Christ-followers - as people living a Life on Loan - part of our responsibility, as our lives intersect with the lives of others, is to function as a deterrent to decay. Can you think of ways that your life is helping to slow down the moral decay in our world? By living a life that demonstrates a little virtue, you'll stand out like stars in the universe (as Paul says in Philippians 2:14-16).
     No only are we identified as salt, but Jesus also characterizes our Life on Loan as being Light. We are the Light of the World. "Light", in scripture, frequently symbolizes purity, truth, and divine revelation. As light, we are to shine brightly in the darkness, exposing the evil in the world around us and lighting the path that leads to Jesus.
     In verse 16, Jesus connects our being light with our doing good deeds. We are to let our light shine in such a way that people will see our good deeds and, as a result, be drawn to Jesus.
     One concept we'll be looking at in our Spiritual Adventure is the idea that good deeds directed toward others will create good will between them and you which, in turn, will open up opportunities for you to share the Good News that Jesus loves them and wants them to become part of God's family, too.
     As you continue to think in terms of Living your Life on Loan from God, be on the look out for ways you can be Salt (slowing down the decay of society) and Light (exposing evil and illuminating the path that leads to God.) As you do this, people will be able to see your good deeds and it will open the door for you to introduce them to Jesus.

Blessings to you,

Pastor Gus