Matthew 5:12-14 - “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

This school year, one of the privileges God has provided me with is the opportunity to teach some high school level classes within our local homeschool co-op. Our group has several hundred participants, and weekly I spend time with approx. 30 teenagers. Last semester the classroom I use was remodeled, and on the wall, there are two large pieces of art summarize these verses. “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world”. Visual reminders to anyone using the class of this paragraph from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. There are a few things that stand out from the metaphors Jesus used to describe those who belong to his kingdom:

James 1:2-4 - “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Recently I attended a Bible study where a brother was wrestling with God’s sovereignty and goodness. Trust me, as a 37-year-old father who has experienced the loss of two children, I am familiar with that struggle! Our brother was wrestling with James’ inspired description of Job as an example of someone who experienced God’s intentional compassion and mercy (James 5:11) and our friend made some pretty strong statements that I think need examining. Let’s think through the topic for just a minute.

Hebrews 4:16 - “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.”

In a recent Bible study on the subject of prayer, one of my friends asked an honest question that has an immense answer. I wasn’t able to answer it thoroughly at the time, so to organize my thoughts a little better I decided to spend some time, review it more, and then write my answer out. As I did, my love for Christ grew deeper, and I hope reading this post does the same for you.

To begin, let’s remember an incredible truth about the position of Jesus that was stated in Hebrews 4:14-16…

Matthew 28:6 - "He is not here, for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay."

Sometimes a scripture stands out to me because I have a question about it. Other times because I have learned more about how important it is to the larger context. This week during my reading, this verse stood out to me because of the amazing grace it demonstrated on the part of God toward these two grieving disciples and it moved me!

Luke 5:5 - "And Simon answered, 'Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.'"

I've recently been in some discussions where we have considered the topic of faith. What is it? What does it look like? As I've spent time reflecting on the topic, I came across the passage in Luke 5 during a study and loved what it had to say about faith! To fully appreciate Peter's response to Jesus I think it would be helpful if we understood Peter's personal journey of belief up to this point…

Col. 1:18 - "And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent."

This past Sunday during worship we imagined two children having a debate as they played in a sandbox. The question under consideration was, whose father was greatest? Each persuasively and passionately made the case for his respective father. In Colossians, Paul tried to help those believers understand that there really isn't any debate when it comes to who is greatest. Christ is supreme! In the first chapter, he made two sweeping points to prove Jesus' preeminence…

Rev. 5:8 - "And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints."

Have you ever sat around a crackling campfire at night, enjoying the flickering light and radiating warmth? Maybe you cooked your meal on the coals or roasted marshmallows for s'mores. Perhaps it had rained and you were using the fire to dry your shoes and clothing. The next morning you packed everything up and headed home, and when you walked in the door someone commented that you smelled like fire! The smell of the campfire had permeated your clothing and hair so that everyone knew where you had been and what you had been doing. In Revelation John described something that permeated God's presence like the scent of burning incense.

Matt. 20:15 - "Am I not allowed to do what I wish with what belongs to me?  Or do you begrudge my generosity?" - ESV

I couldn't stand mathematics in school.  I was a lit man.  Give me any kind of book to explore and explain and I was content.  Sit me at a desk with a pencil and figures and I felt like my head would explode.  I have since come to appreciate the importance of math.  Doing home projects around the house requires measuring, designing and estimating.  Balancing checkbooks and keeping track of schedules all require the use of numbers.  The first time I came to appreciate math was when I had my first few jobs.  I knew what my pay-rate was and I could keep track of my income based on the hours I worked, or the number of houses I had on my paper route or the pounds of strawberries I picked per hour.

In Matthew 20 Jesus tells the parable of the landowner who hires workers throughout the day to work in his vineyard for an agreed-upon amount.