Accept no imitations.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.1
The Lord Jesus came that we would have life, a completely new type of living that we can’t achieve through any other means but through Him. But what type of life are we called to? What does this type of life look like?
Firstly this is not to put you in a box—the type of life I’m talking about here isn’t a one size fits all and that everyone should be the same, but there will be common features in every believer’s life.
In Matthew 5, Jesus calls us to be both salt and light in this sinful world. Salt has many uses besides making potatoes taste better. For many years it was the preservative of choice for food to stop it from rotting. As this world just wastes away before our eyes it’s the Christian’s calling to preserve the goodness. We should be a people that grabs hold of the tearing fabric of society and hold it together as a witness to God the Father who holds all things together.
Light is completely unique; without it the world would be in darkness and life of any sort impossible. Many times in the Bible God is referred to as light. Christ is called the Light of the world and His light was the life of men. As Christians, we are to be lamps on a stand shining for God, using the light that He gave us to shine into the darkness and guide the world to the true light that brings the life everyone so desperately needs.
It’s difficult to say how this should be unfolding in your life but the first step is to not to hide your light or saltiness from the world. It can be easy to stay below the radar, keep your head down and try not to make waves. But then you are just existing and not living. Stepping out in faith can be difficult, but it is still done in the faith that God is in control. In 2 Timothy 1:12 Paul expresses how he will not be ashamed, for he knows in whom he has trusted and how God will keep him. The life we’ve been given is one of service; service to God to do His will in getting alongside those whom He has placed in our lives. Those that you see at school or sit beside on the bus, they are your mission field. It’s not easy, I know it isn’t, but the alternative is a world that continues on a downward spiral to destruction with no light to guide it and no salt to stop the decay. My favourite verse is Revelation 3:5—it tells of how the Christians that overcome the trials of this world will be personally introduced to heaven by the Lord Jesus. What a reward waits before us! So don’t wait around for the perfect opportunity; serve in whatever way you can, wherever you can and see what God can do with a life that wants to serve Him.
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.2
This Christian life will bring with it joy. How many times after seeing God working have we soared high, seeing the Lord working in the lives of those around us, raising our spirits. Yet, as the verse above highlights as well, we need to be aware that trials, temptations and failure can easily bring us crashing down. The devil is out there, prowling and searching or an opportunity to kill, steal and destroy our testimony. Yet the Lord allows these attacks to occur, for no matter what Satan does, God in His power will work everything for our good. Like Joseph, who endured such hardship, yet rose to a position that God had prepared him for. Be encouraged—the struggle you’re fighting with the devil at the moment God will use to further His grand plan and bring glory to His name. This world with its hardships can get us down, but the life we’re called to is not one of low and discouraged hearts, for we are on the victory side.
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.3
So this abundant life Christ has given us is to shine in the darkness for Him. Be it at work, school and in our interactions with each other. We’re to be salty to mix with the world and try to witness with the hope of spreading Christ so that more souls would be preserved into eternity. Finally, with the highs and lows we are to rest on the Rock of our salvation. As 2 Timothy 1:7 says, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
1. John 10:10, ESV.
2. Romans 12:12, ESV.
3. John 16:33, ESV.
