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S04E086, Butter, Salt, Blending and Standing Out! Andy B 2 Minute Video
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Bilbo Baggins is something of a hero, if you know anything of Lords of the Rings. And there is a line he utters which is wonderfully descriptive!
He mentions about how tired he has become, and he likens his tiredness to ‘butter spread over too much bread’. To be fair to Bilbo, he had long gone past his natural oldest age, but that description paints a great picture of how life can, sometimes, feel.
The bible tells us that, as Christians, we should stand out – like salt does in a meal. It describes how when salt loses it’s saltiness it is useless and is only good for throwing out and being trampled upon. This isn’t good if you think that, as Christians, we’re supposed to live quiet lives that never offend anyone. Actually, if everyone you know is happy with you, you’re probably getting it wrong by not living a faithful enough life! And the whole heart behind living a godly life is that we will be offensive to those we meet, because of the Jesus in us. It is the truth which is offensive - not our loving Heavenly Father, who is unable to offensive in His nature, except to those that do not wish to hear His loving message!
This does not mean, however, that we can go around - like a meal with far too much salt - and being unhelpfully abrasive to the people we meet. We are supposed to live peaceable lives. But this, perhaps, is where there has been a terrible misunderstanding on what the life of a Jesus loving Christian should be like.
As we look around the world, at some terrible atrocities, wars, famine, drought and controlling governments and industry, it’s very easy to understand the reason why this is so as a Christian: As Andy Hawthorn of the Message Trust once stated, ‘when you take Jesus out of society, everything starts shaking’. And it is that shaking we are seeing as people pursue lives that are diametrically opposed to God’s best for each one of us.
A good meal is balanced by salt.
A healthy society is balanced by Jesus Christ and Christians actively living out their faith, boldly, and unashamedly.
So, let’s not be overly salty people who offend before people before they even meet us.
Yes, let us live peaceable lives so people can’t point at the many failings in our lives, but at the hope and joy and peace that pours out of our very pores. But, let’s balance that by not living such tiny lives that nobody ever notices we actually have a passionate love for our Saviour - Jesus Christ.
The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is one that not a single one of us truly wanted to hear or accept - until we had surrendered to the love that Jesus Christ has for us. But let’s make sure that the people we meet are not offended by us, unnecessarily!
Just a thought…
Andy B
Support the show
Keep in Touch with the BerryBunch
www.berrybunch.org
Support Us Online
www.berrybunch.org/supportus
View all episodes
By Andy BSend us a text
Bilbo Baggins is something of a hero, if you know anything of Lords of the Rings. And there is a line he utters which is wonderfully descriptive!
He mentions about how tired he has become, and he likens his tiredness to ‘butter spread over too much bread’. To be fair to Bilbo, he had long gone past his natural oldest age, but that description paints a great picture of how life can, sometimes, feel.
The bible tells us that, as Christians, we should stand out – like salt does in a meal. It describes how when salt loses it’s saltiness it is useless and is only good for throwing out and being trampled upon. This isn’t good if you think that, as Christians, we’re supposed to live quiet lives that never offend anyone. Actually, if everyone you know is happy with you, you’re probably getting it wrong by not living a faithful enough life! And the whole heart behind living a godly life is that we will be offensive to those we meet, because of the Jesus in us. It is the truth which is offensive - not our loving Heavenly Father, who is unable to offensive in His nature, except to those that do not wish to hear His loving message!
This does not mean, however, that we can go around - like a meal with far too much salt - and being unhelpfully abrasive to the people we meet. We are supposed to live peaceable lives. But this, perhaps, is where there has been a terrible misunderstanding on what the life of a Jesus loving Christian should be like.
As we look around the world, at some terrible atrocities, wars, famine, drought and controlling governments and industry, it’s very easy to understand the reason why this is so as a Christian: As Andy Hawthorn of the Message Trust once stated, ‘when you take Jesus out of society, everything starts shaking’. And it is that shaking we are seeing as people pursue lives that are diametrically opposed to God’s best for each one of us.
A good meal is balanced by salt.
A healthy society is balanced by Jesus Christ and Christians actively living out their faith, boldly, and unashamedly.
So, let’s not be overly salty people who offend before people before they even meet us.
Yes, let us live peaceable lives so people can’t point at the many failings in our lives, but at the hope and joy and peace that pours out of our very pores. But, let’s balance that by not living such tiny lives that nobody ever notices we actually have a passionate love for our Saviour - Jesus Christ.
The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is one that not a single one of us truly wanted to hear or accept - until we had surrendered to the love that Jesus Christ has for us. But let’s make sure that the people we meet are not offended by us, unnecessarily!
Just a thought…
Andy B
Support the show
Keep in Touch with the BerryBunch
www.berrybunch.org
Support Us Online
www.berrybunch.org/supportus