trbccoffeebreak

“For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” ~Mark 9:49-50

As I was reading through Mark’s gospel, which I have done many, many times, I saw a little phrase that seemed to have been recently added to my Bible. (I know you know what I’m talking about!) In chapter 9, we read about the Transfiguration and then listen in as Jesus tells His disciples straight up about his impending death and resurrection (which they did not get in that moment). Then, after some of His closest friends were arguing about who was the greatest disciple, Jesus explains clearly that to be the greatest, one must be last and a servant of all. Skipping ahead a few verses, Jesus gets really real about removing sin from our lives, going to extremes when needed. But then, in Mark 9:49, Jesus follows that up by saying, “For everyone will be salted with fire.” Wait, what? After pausing to ponder this odd phrase through the Holy Spirit lens, a cool application struck me.

Believers are called to be salt in this world—Matthew, Mark, and Luke recount the words of Jesus as He exhorts us to be “the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13), to “have salt in yourselves” (Mark 9:50), and not lose our saltiness, because then it’s of no use at all (Luke 14:34-45). The analogy is pretty clear: Just as salt preserves food, we’re to preserve God’s Word amid the “rotting” elements of culture. And just as we use salt to elevate the flavor of food, Christians sprinkle the grace, mercy, and love on others to reflect Jesus and glorify His name. And just as popcorn or chips make us pine for water, our salty lives should also make those around us thirsty for the Lord. Thankfully, we don’t do this in our own effort. Upon salvation, we are given the Holy Spirit to live within us to empower us to shine the light of Christ into our dark world, to serve as ambassadors of our new homeland (the Kingdom of God), to live fruity lives (Galatians 5:22-23), and—of course—to be salty. And although we are new creations in Christ and have the Holy Spirit within us, we’re still in a constant battle with the flesh and the broken world…not to mention against our enemy who hates us and wants only to kill, steal, and destroy. So, there is that. As we live in the world, being pulled on and pummeled by the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life…well, our saltiness can lose its flavor.

And this is what the point of this before-unseen-by-me sentence in Luke points to: staying salted by fire. See, sometimes our most valiant efforts are not enough. We squelch the Holy Spirit with the idea of “I know better” or “I got this.” In these cases, it’s as if the Lord shakes His head knowingly and says to Himself, “Nothin’ a little fire can’t fix.”

So, by trial, persecution, illness, financial crisis, family calamity, and even those sneaky malicious intentions of the enemy, the Lord purifies us. He burns up those attitudes, habits, and actions that have dulled our saltiness—and He refines our Christian walk for His glory, praise, and honor (1 Peter 1:6-7).

When life is hard (because, frankly, it is), do we turn to the things of the world or old patterns that pull us off the Narrow Path and into the wide road? Does our awe of God’s greatness dim, and our enthusiasm for His people and lost souls wane? Oh, friend, I’ve been there, becoming tasteless to a world that so desperately needs to know the soul-level satisfaction of Jesus. But when we take our eyes off ourselves and our circumstances, and place them back on the Lord, and to His mercy and grace—and see just how He is salting us by fire—we can re-embrace the joy of our salvation…and amplify our saltiness once again.

“Lord, forgive me for losing my saltiness in the trials of this life. Thank You for “salting me with fire,” refining my flavor to be more like You.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life