Humble, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, rejoicing in hard times… that’s the kind of people we see as Jesus begins this message… then he says, You are the salt… you are the light. My question, are you tasty, are you visible, do you attract or repel?

Salt without desirable flavor, “it’s no good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled”. If you are light… what do you reveal? “Let your light shine before others so that they may see… and give glory to your Father.”

Nothing radical, or revolutionary here right? You decide. Often people say, “We are under Grace now, not The Law.” Ok, but that doesn’t release us, but rather binds us to deeper things. Jesus says, “I did not come to Abolish the Law, but to fulfill.” And then, “whoever breaks one of the least… and teaches others to do the same will be called ‘the least’… but whoever DOES and teaches theses… will be called ‘great’ in the Kingdom.”

Point? (warning oversimplification alert) Much of the rest of Jesus’ sermon is not releasing us from but taking us to a greater level of living.

  • Hateful thoughts / unjust anger is like internal murder – SHINE the Right Light
  • Failure to settle disagreements quickly and honorably – SALTLESS gritty sand – useless
  • Impure thoughts – we are already walking an adulterous path – Light is shining that within and without
  • Unfulfilled Promises, Fake commitment – Taste Terrible and don’t Point to Jesus. What’s the light? Where’s the flavor?
  • Go the Second Mile, show faithfulness and give more than is demanded – again we are talking Light and Flavor.
  • Love your Enemies, Pray for Persecutors – Just like the Sun Shines on everyone, our light should shine on anyone/everyone. Salt tastes good on every tongue that tastes it. The reward is in the giving and the shining, not in choosing the Recipient.

My questions for myself today are

  • to whom do I shine?
  • from whom do I desire a reward?
  • am I tasty or tasteless?
  • Is everything I do to Please the Father and Portray the Love of God?

If I can give to the Father this way… he repays in His time, and there may be a personal return of people in heaven thus my investment resulted in Eternal Dividends

What’s Shining? Let Your Light So Shine…