Salted and Pure

As Christians, we live in a world that is turning dark. There are many beautiful and good things, but more and more trash and darkness come our way through news, television, and events.

In Exodus, God tells Moses how a fragrant sacrifice (worship) is to be prepared.

Three things are the point of focus: it is to be salted, pure, and sacred.

Salted 

Salt brings flavor (just think about an egg without salt). It adds quality and value. In Matthew 5:13, Jesus Himself sharply clarifies the importance of salt. Our whole being, our actions should not only be salted, we are salt!

Colossians 4:6 says that our speaking should be salted. Does this mean we have to speak hard and evil words? No, what we say should be pleasant, as if you are talking to the Lord. Everyone we meet should think: What a nice person!

Pure

If we want our lives to be a fragrant sacrifice to God, it must be pure. Our speaking, our actions and our thinking should be pure.

Pure means: clean. The method of preparation (offering a clean incense) is described in detail in Exodus 30 (see above). Do not mix it with other things. It is a very precise work. In our own lives it is also wise to clean our hearts often and precisely. This way, our worship can be unmixed. There should be no stubbornness, anger, greed, or revenge, but we should solely rely on Him who accomplishes it all for us.

James shows that we cannot speak pure language and at the same time speak badly of others.

This also applies to our actions. It should always be pure and solely for Him. 

For God Only

Many translations use the word ‘sacred’. Our lives should be sacred to God; put aside for Him. A verse from Colossians explains this beautifully. It is actually a summary of this study.