We often wonder why some people constantly pursue the vain pleasures of life such as rich food, entertainment, clothing and accessories and so on endlessly. They are never at peace and desire to live their best life in terms of comfort and enjoyment.
Such people need to start embracing a fasted lifestyle by constraining earthly desires that war against their spirit. They must rid themselves of cravings for grand food and sensual indulgence (involving the eyes, ears, nose, mouth and touch) because their flesh is getting caught deeper and deeper in the enemy’s web so that it will not be easy for them to get unstuck.
The “Lot’s Wife” pillar on Mount Sodom, Israel, made of halite
We are given an example in Lot’s wife who was unwilling to let go of the ease and comfort offered in the sin-stained land. The angels came down to Sodom and Gomorrah to destroy it by fire. Even when the angels sounded alarms again and again to move fast, they lingered until the angels were forced to take them by their hand and lead them out of the perilous land. Even so, her heart had been so invested in her self-indulgent paradise that she turned back desiring to return to that familiar land. Her heart was bound and she could not be freed from her yearning which is the reason she was turned into a pillar of salt to offer us as a grim reminder that salt is worthless if it loses its flavor of saltiness.
What is Saltiness?
Saltiness is our innate quality of being united with our God so that whoever comes close to us, will get to enjoy the true and rich flavor of a life replete in Christ. Our peace, joy and contentment is contagious and gets passed on to them adding flavor to their lives. This will cause them to want what we have and be salty like us. This is why salt cannot lose its quality of saltiness—if it does, it becomes useless. We must therefore be careful to guard our life-preserving qualities we have been given in Christ—so that all will be drawn to the righteousness, peace and joy we enjoy in Christ and desire to have the same salt in their lives.
The Choice is Ours
A fasted lifestyle that desires more of God gets more and more salty over time. Daniel was a force to reckon even when he had many enemies. He fasted and prayed earnestly all the time and God drew ever so close to him. “Draw close to God and He will draw close to you.” As a result, all the kings who ruled one after the other were drawn to Daniel’s salty life—richly flavored with wisdom, knowledge and understanding.
So the supreme way to get salty is to pursue God even when a life of ease is available to us. This is easier to do and more fulfilling than when God has to force His Hand on us and take away all our pleasures because we have not been able to discipline ourselves to spend our lives doing the things of God. This is wisdom and God desires for us to get wisdom when we can.
What does Scripture say about wisdom?
Job 28:13-28
Where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell?
13 No mortal comprehends its worth; it cannot be found in the land of the living.
14 The deep says, “It is not in me”; the sea says, “It is not with me.”
15 It cannot be bought with the finest gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor can it be had for jewels of gold.
18 Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
19 The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it; it cannot be bought with pure gold.
20 Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds in the sky.
22 Destruction and Death say, “Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
23 God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells,
24 for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters,
26 when he made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm,
27 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; he confirmed it and tested it.
28 And he said to the human race, “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”
The Way to More Saltiness
God has given us the way to get more salty in scripture. Jesus refers to saltiness in two places in the Bible: Luke 14:34 and Mark 9:50.
Jesus explains saltiness in Luke 14:34 saying,
34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Jesus explains this concept of being salty in the context of “And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” – Luke 14:27.
He takes us into a parable of a person who desires to build a tower. This is the only place in the Bible where this parable is discussed. He asks, “Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?”
Is Jesus referring to money? Yes. Why does he require us to estimate how much money we will need to build? Is it possible that our estimate will not be accurate? Yes, because He hints at being ridiculed later for not being able to finish the work that was started. Does this not sound like a warning? Yes, God is warning us not to rely on ourselves for the tasks He gives us (or does not give us) because not only will we fail but our reputation will also be dissolved.
Note the keyword ‘you’ used throughout: 1. Suppose one of ‘you’, 2. Won’t ‘you’, 3. If ‘you’ 4. Ridicule ‘you’. The Lord was saying, “If you go about doing as you please, better be ready to pay the cost to complete what ‘you’ started. You were not listening and decided to go and build a tower. Now towers are usually high columns that stand alone. Their structure is imposing and they occupy a commanding position. When we take up building projects without being mindful of whether the Lord is in it with us or not, He is not obligated to see it to the finish. He deems that ‘we’ are in control and most likely in a position where we will be ridiculed because we started something we could not complete. It is all about ‘you’ not Him. So He is also put off by the ‘self’ aspect involved.
On the other hand, if the Lord is in command and asks you to build, then you don’t have to sit down and estimate the cost to see if you will have enough money to complete it; He will complete what He started. Amen.
Jesus continues to another parable about a king in Luke 14:31-33 where one king is about to wage war against another king. This parable explains why the builder could not finish what he started on his own. This king, on finding that he is not able to go to war against another stronger king, asks for terms of peace. Who does Jesus mean by the stronger king? What did Jesus mean by asking for peace? Why fight a stronger king if one has no means to win the war? Is there an option to stop the war—I suppose NOT, as the stronger king is already on his way. What would the terms of peace involve? Giving up everything of course! Because scripture says, “32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”
The weak king is one who has only limited strength. The strong king has unlimited strength. Jesus is the strong king. We are the weak king because we cannot overcome King Jesus. Since we cannot defeat Him in the war over our souls, we need to consider the ‘terms’ of peace. He as the strong king can ask for what He desires from us because we cannot hold Him back in our lives. He will take everything away in war but if we surrender, we will benefit because He will spare our lives. He will negotiate His terms of peace and not destroy us because we are willing to reckon with His terms and fulfill them. Jesus desires for us to give Him all that He asks of us because He desires to wage war against our souls that have been made corrupt by sin and restore them back to Him. Amen.
In effect, Jesus is saying that because He is the stronger king, we must rely on Him to accomplish what He desires. We must give ourselves up to Him and be true and faithful to take up our cross (terms of peace) and follow Him. (14:27). What if we do not submit to the terms of peace?
We will lose our identity and usefulness. Salt as we know makes itself known by its presence. But if it loses its saltiness, it will be thrown out because it is not fit for the soil or for the manure heap. Rich soil and manure heap act as fertilizers for plants and aid their growth. We are of no use to God if we lose our flavor of saltiness because we will make no difference to God’s kingdom and will therefore be thrown out. (14:34-35)
Jesus desires that we say ‘yes’ to the higher life and make up our minds to go to the mountain tops of His suffering love and burning incense, much as the apostles and disciples took up all the trials given to them with a heartiness that enabled them to be useful and effective for service in the kingdom of God. Amen