Daily Devotion 09 September 2020

Create a peaceful space to pause, and allow yourself to feel God’s presence alongside you, as near to you as your own breath. In following the reflection below, as a church we will draw closer to God and to one another as we grow in faith and deepen our sense of belonging to God.

Matthew 5:13-16 ‘Salt and Light’

13 ’You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. 14 ’You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

James 2:14 ‘Faith without Works Is Dead’

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?

I am not a cook, I would not know where to start, but I marvel at many of the dishes that are made on TV’s Masterchef. However, even I know that salt is essential to many aspects of cooking. To make food edible and pleasant to the eye, and more importantly, the taste.   I confess I am an armchair cook! There are many folk in the community who are known as the ‘salt of the earth’. The letter from James, who was probably Jesus’ brother, underlines the fact that belief in Christ must be accompanied with action to be true, so that as salt it preserves and grows.  James dealt with our testing, endurance, wisdom, prayer, and riches and some words remind us of the Book of Proverbs and take us back to the Sermon on the Mount.

Isaiah also puts it so well eight centuries before Jesus when Isaiah clearly foresaw him. He knew why he must come and what he must do. The lonely figure which we are reminded of before the crucifixion. Chapter 52: 13-15 and Chapter 53 of the book of Isaiah describe ‘The Suffering Servant’ and should be read in full, if you can, as it speaks of Jesus’ fate, his suffering and through to his joy of his resurrection. God spoke and acted to save us.

Salt and light are essential if we are to effective faithful and true Christians. The gospels speak of Jesus saying that we “are like the light for the whole world…. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl; instead he puts it on the lamp stand, where it gives light for everyone in the house”. I wonder how you feel in your neighbourhood and how you allow the love of Christ to light up to those with whom you meet?

Prayer:

The Lord is our Shepherd,
He will always provide for us,
He will bring peace and tranquillity
to troubled and anxious minds
and renewal to our souls.

Daily, He will guide our steps
to fulfil His plans and purposes
in a world of falling moral standards.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Reflection & Prayer © 2020 Matthew Earl.
Image freely available online.

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