December 18                                  Jer 27 - 29

SPICE OF LIFE

MEMORISE: ‘let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven’. (Maat 5: 16)
READ: Act 27:20 – 25

Jesus said in Matthew 5: 13 that those who believe in him are the salt of the earth. Salt makes food taste better. In the same way believers lend flavour to their surroundings. Our presence should turn sorrow into joy, and curses into blessing. Elisha, one of the apples of God’s eyes, arrived in Jericho. The inhabitants were languishing under a long-standing curse placed by Joshua. But Elisha, wanting to lend flavour, simply broke the curse and immediately people began to enjoy the land. There was progress, peace and joy ( 2 Kgs 2: 19- 22).

Salt can also act as a preservation. In today’s passage, Paul was in a ship en route to Rome. Along came a terrible storm that had everyone on board fearing for their lives. Nobody thought they would survive the ordeal. But God through his angel assured Paul that they would be safe. In verse 24 the angel says: ‘Saying, fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.’ Paul’s dependence on God not only ensured his own safety, but that of everyone else on the ship as well. So Paul acted as a preservative to those around him.

People should feel privileged to live in the same building as you, because they benefit from the protection of the angels watching over you. If a person who is tormented and manipulated by demons should move in with you, he should be freed of those demons the moment he enters the door of your apartment. Your presence can and should make the difference, for example if you board a bus that was destined for an accident, your presence should cause that bus to reach its destination safety.

In Genesis 39: 1-6, the presence of Joseph in the household to Potiphar brought prosperity into his master’s affairs. Similarly, your employers should be able to say that you have made some real improvements to be way they do business.

The question now is: Do you live up to your billing as salt of the earth? Do you have current testimonies of your impact on the life on others?

ACTION POINT
List 10 ways in which you can put smiles on sorrowful faces from now
until the end of the year. God ahead and add flavour to their lives.