Salt of the earth

Today we find ourselves in the wilderness. I know, I know, buffet breakfasts and touring in an air conditioned bus aren’t wilderness type conditions but we are easing into this (does car sickness count?) Today our journey took us south along the Dead “Salt” Sea to Ein Avdat (the spring of Avdat) located in the Wilderness of Zin. On our way we drove by the sea and discovered Israel’s main natural resource, salt, which is probably why it is mentioned so often in the bible. Salt is one of our needs – do you realize this? One of my co-workers recently passed out and she didn’t know why and neither did her doctors initially. So they ran blood tests and come to find out, she had a salt deficiency. I don’t know if I ever heard of one of my acquaintances ever having a lack of salt in this current Big Mac generation. Yet, she did and it was a true need of hers.

Salt heals, preserves, adds taste to food and your words (Col 4:6); too much salt becomes a wasteland and salt can lose it’s taste. Do you need salt in your life or have you become tasteless (Mt 5:13). Christ tells us “you are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trample under peoples feet”. Can I be so bold to encourage each of us to allow Christ to once again fill our salt shakers during this trip? He has plenty of salt for each of us; we physically chewed salt herbs today to sustain us (Job 30:3); now chew on His words and you will become so tasty that all will want what you’ve got.

Another need in the Wilderness of Zin, which becomes apparent quite quickly, is water. We learned most towns in Israel are 25 miles apart strategically as that is a normal day’s hike. In the wilderness, water becomes life and death and God knew this as he delivered his people from Egypt. In Numbers 20:2 we read “There was no water for the people to drink at that place, so they rebelled against Moses and Aaron. The people blamed Moses and said, “If only …” How many if only’s holds us back from God’s blessing. Or, like Moses, do we get mad at others when we hear them complain? Christ is the living water and says we will never thirst again (John 4:11 our blessing). The women at the well asked where do you get that living water? She was thirsty and she asked! Am I aware of my thirst? Do I ask for that abundant, living water that only Christ can provide? When you find yourself in real need, then you will find God’s blessing - if only you ask.

Shalom, Matt