Seasoned With Salt
God has given all people the ability pray and help preserve others through acts of kindness, words of encouragement, and compassionate grace.
"If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you: Because you did not serve the Lord your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity"
Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 8-9, 11-15, 47-48, 65-66
God wants to season your life with the words of life. He wants to instill your heart with courage, your words with grace, your mind with gratitude, and your spirit with peace. What word does He continually speak that you might receive all of the blessings that He has promised? It is not the word that you might think.
God says obey. The Hebrew word is shama. It is the same word used to represent the great Shema which says that the people of God are to hear God and love God with all their hearts, minds, and strength. We tend to think of the word obey and connect it to obligation or requirement that is necessary. The Hebrew word is so much richer. At the heart of the meaning of the word is to listen. To the Jewish ear, one could not hear and not respond. God is not trying to be a cosmic judge in the heavens. He is desiring intimacy of relationship. He is saying I am your Father, you are my child. Let me speak to you and guide you to the blessings of your inheritance as my dearly loved one.
Like any effective parent, God invites His kids to listen but recognizes that the children must choose to hear. There are countless jokes that could be inserted about teenagers who do not listen because they think they already know everything. How different are we from the ones that we joke about not listening? How well are you hearing the voice of God? How well are you responding to what He says is best for you? Are you leaning on your own understanding? To hear God is to open the door to receive the best that He has for you as you walk with Him.
“Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God. I hate those who cling to worthless idols; as for me, I trust in the Lord. I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief. But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you"
Psalms 31:4-7, 9, 14, 16, 19, 23-24
David is a healthy example of how to turn to God not from Him through the difficulties of life. David's life is not absent trouble. He is not absent conflict. He faces difficulty every day of his life. He knows that his enemies and the enemy of our lives, Satan, actively work against him. What tends to happen when we are facing pressure or persecution? Doesn't life tend to speed up and are we not often quick to respond with a fight or flight instinct? How quickly do you get offended when someone else say or does something unkind?
David slows down. He takes time to seek God and listen so that he doesn't fall for the sin that so easily entangles. He knows the trap of offense, bitterness, and rage. He wants no part of it. He also knows the traps of comfort, pleasure, and pride. He wants no part of those either. He chooses to slow down and trust God's plan, purposes, presence, and provision. How are you responding to life's pressures? David measures everything in his life in terms of relationship. He uses the word faithful because he knows that a life that honors God listens to God.
“The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. Whoever leads the upright along an evil path will fall into their own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance. Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble. A faithful person will be richly blessed...The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the Lord will prosper. Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.”
Proverbs 28:1, 10, 13-14, 20, 25, 27
Solomon uses the same language as David when it comes to calling out the things that cause us not to hear God's voice and follow His leading. He says the wicked flee though no one pursues. Isn't that a funny image? Why would they do this? Is it not because they are listening to the voice of the enemy that says to be afraid and not listening to the voice of the Prince of Peace who says do not be afraid? Solomon says the righteous are bold. The word righteous does not mean perfect. It means the one who is right alignment, right relationship, right connectedness to the Creator of all.
Solomon calls out some barriers to hearing God and receiving His blessings. He says that when you hide your sin, stir up conflict, or live selfishly that your life does not reflect ears that are hearing and obeying. God promises that those who give to the poor will be repaid. He promises that those who listen to Him, reverently honor Him, and are faithful to Him will receive blessing. Do you want more blessing? Choose to spend less time talking and more time listening to the One who holds all blessings. How much time do you spend silent before God?
“At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over. I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold ...I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision...he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them...“Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.” When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my Lord, since you have given me strength.”
Daniel 10:2-3, 5, 7, 12, 14, 17-19
Daniel does what he does not have to do because his heart knows what God wants him to do. Daniel does not need to repent. The angel tells Daniel that he is highly esteemed. Do you see the paradox? Do you see the irony of Daniel's fasting? In our world if someone is highly esteemed, do they make themselves low? Why would Daniel pray and fast?
Daniel had ears to hear and a heart to respond to God's voice. God says to love others as you love yourself. Daniel could not operate in a world that was hurting and not care for the hurts of others. Daniel was a man of constant prayer and intercession because he cared about others more than himself. Do you? How much time do you spend fasting or praying so that other people's prayers would be answered? Is this not a radically resurrection minded concept? What would happen if you chose to spend more time praying for others than praying for yourself? How would that change how you see others and how much better would you hear God?
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.”
Colossians 4:2, 5-6, 12
We have all sat in church and heard lengthy sermons. How many of those sermons can you remember? How long do we typically hold on to the things we hear? We live in a world with information overload and constant notifications. How does that affect our ability to hear God's voice? Are you willing to sacrifice time on your phone or doing things like going on the internet or scrolling social media to spend more time with God?
Paul doesn't have to preach a long sermon to get to the straight forward point. He says devote yourselves to prayer being watchful and thankful. Are you devoted to prayer? Every great revival begins with prayer. How much time would someone who is devoted to prayer spend in prayer?
Why did Paul say be watchful and thankful? To be watchful is to look out and see how others are doing. Wisdom says you should know the condition of the flock around you. How well do you know what others need prayer for and how you could help? Paul says be thankful. Start your prayers by acknowledging all that God has already done so that your heart is already overflowing with the joy that comes from gratitude. Paul knows that this will help you operate in prayer out of an abundance mindset. What is your mindset today?
Paul says your words should be seasoned with salt. Can you imagine a world where the only words spoken were words of kindness, gratitude, grace, truth and encouragement? While you might not be able to change the way the whole world speaks, can you grow in how you are speaking so that all your words are words that preserve others just as God preserves you as you listen?
The call today is a call to obedience. It is a call to hearing and responding to the Heavenly Father who knows you, to Jesus who saves you, and to the Holy Spirit who empowers you. It is a call to receive the blessing of your inheritance as a child of God. The question is will you obey? Will you hear and respond with a heart that loves the God who has always, and will always, faithfully love you. Listen today and you will hear Him speak words seasoned with salt that are full of grace, life, and truth.