Weekend, April 18, 2020
Called Out
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men” (Matthew 5:13 nkjv).
You know, there’s nothing more pathetic than a Christian who has lost their testimony. It’s even worse than a person who never had one.
On his way to Tarshish, Jonah lost his testimony. He ran from God and boarded a ship going in the opposite direction. And when a violent storm hit, the Bible says “the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god” (Jonah 1:5 nkjv).
Meanwhile, Jonah was asleep. The captain found him and said, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish” (verse 6 nkjv).
Somehow the others on board determined this storm was Jonah’s fault. And when they questioned him, Jonah admitted, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land” (Jonah 1:9 nkjv).
Jonah didn’t deny his faith. He may have been a prodigal, but he still was a believer. And he was busted and exposed as someone running from God. They said, “Why have you done this?” (verse 10 nlt).
Sometimes nonbelievers have more faith than believers do. And sometimes they understand what we believers are supposed to believe better than we understand it.
It’s a bad thing when a nonbeliever calls us out on our behavior. It’s a bad thing when a non-Christian says, “Excuse me, I thought you were a Christian.” And the hardest thing of all is when they’re right.
Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men” (Matthew 5:13 nkjv).
Salt that isn’t salty is, well, worthless. And a Christian who isn’t following Christ is pretty worthless too.
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