#1173. Stay salty (24/10/24)

Welcome to this Come to Jesus Daily Devotional as we continue in our Luke, Exploring Who Jesus is series. Today, from Luke 14:34-35, we reflect on why it’s vital to remain ‘salty’, what this means and how we can do it. 

To watch this devotional, select the link below:

Jesus continues His teaching on what it means to follow Him as His disciple. We’ve seen that He’s compared the cost of following Him to hating one’s family and loved ones, carrying a cross, building a tower and to going to war; now Jesus compares the challenges of discipleship - of following Jesus - to salt and being salty. 

Over the last 200 years, the price of salt has dramatically decreased due to advancements in production and transportation. In the early 19th century, salt could cost around £10 per ton (equivalent to approximately £1 per bag), making it a valuable commodity often used as currency. By the late 19th century, prices dropped to about £3 per ton. With the rise of modern production techniques in the mid-20th century, the price fell to less than £1 per ton. Today, salt is widely available, often costing mere pennies per pound, reflecting its transformation from a precious resource to a common staple. This illustration of the decline of the cost of salt, can also speak of the decline of the cost of following Jesus in countries such as England. 

Of course, it’s impossible for salt (sodium chloride) to become un-salty. There are various views put forward as to what this may mean, but the point being made is that un-salty salt is useless. For example, we could say that un-burnable petrol is useless and we would know what we mean. Salt, with its taste-giving and persevering properties, is useless if it’s no longer salty. So, disciples, are useless if they fail to wholeheartedly follow Jesus. 

i. How do we lose saltiness? 

Jesus’ words challenge disciples with the possibility of losing their saltiness. In other words, a passionate disciple can start off with great sacrificial love and, over time, become deviated. They can start off loving Jesus above everyone else only to redirect their greatest affection to family, children, friends or that romantic attraction who doesn’t believe in Christ; they can start off carrying a cross only to lay it down, tired of the fight or because work success has made them ever more cautious of losing promotion; they can count the cost and build the tower only to allow it to crumble through neglect as new interests are more exciting to them; they can go to war only to give up the fight due to fatigue as they fail to see the revival that they had read about. We can all lose our saltiness - our pure devotion to Jesus.  

ii. How do we maintain saltiness?

Jesus gives us this warning because He wants to help us to maintain our focus. He doesn’t say this so we can judge ourselves, throw up our arms and declare, “that’s me, I’m useless and good for nothing!” No, He tells us this so we can repent and refocus. So how do we maintain or restore our saltiness? To restore our devotion to Jesus we must do what we did to enter a relationship with Jesus - repent and put our faith in Jesus. We must repent of putting other things first. We must pick up the cross again, telling Him that we are willing to follow Him no matter what. We must get building and get fighting - actively living for Jesus again. Now, if you are not willing then that is also your choice and reveals that you are not a disciple. But, as will see in our next devotional, true Christians - those who are born again of the Spirit - have ears to hear and will respond to Jesus’ call to follow Him wholeheartedly. 

Let’s pray together

“Jesus, I thank you for your great example of pure devotion. I know that I’ve fallen short of your glory but today, again, I give myself again to you. Move my heart with a vision of your worth so as to throw off all things and the sin that hinders and run this race with perseverance. Amen.” 

Community Group Notes

1. Notices

It might be good to begin with notices. Please share from this week’s Church News. 

2. Icebreaker

How has God been speaking to you from His Word this week, or maybe from our week of prayer, and how has this helped you? 

3. Worship together

Let’s begin our time together by lifting our eyes and hearts to worship our great God. Perhaps you have readings and songs that you would like to use together. Let’s be open to the gifts that the Spirit wants to give in order to encourage one another.

4. Study and pray together

Sunday’s message from Luke 14:25-35, was about the cost of discipleship. 

In the previous section of this chapter, we saw how we are all, even least, are invited into the Kingdom and the eternal banquet; this invitation is free, and one enters by receiving Jesus - repenting and believing the gospel. Now, in this section, Jesus challenges all of us who want to enter the Kingdom that we must commit ourselves to radical discipleship - it’s free to enter the Kingdom but it will cost us everything as we give our lives entirely to the King. 

Please read Luke 14:25-35 and discuss: 

• Did God speak to you about anything from Sunday’s message? 

• Using three analogies - hating family, building a tower and going to war, Jesus teaches about the cost of following Him. What are the various ways that this can be applied in our lives (Use personal examples if you can)? 

• What does 14:35b, teach about the nature of true (born again) disciples? 

• SIV - In 14:34-35a, Jesus warns about remaining ‘salty’. What does this mean in regard to SIV? And how can one work at remaining salty? 

• SIV - How will the application of today’s text lead to having great impact in your community? 

• SIV - Do we have any stories of how we have ‘Served, Invested, and inVited’ recently?

• SIV - Spend some time together talking and praying about who and how you are seeking to bring your community to Jesus. 

• Let’s pray together: Pray for one another out of our study, and for anything else for which people would like prayer.