Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Matthew 5 is known as the Sermon on the Mount, and it is Jesus's longest sermon that He preached. It's a very challenging one because it encourages us not to just talk, but to walk the talk. A few verses earlier, Jesus said in verse 13, "You're the salt of the earth." Then in verse 14 He said, "You're the light of the world." He's given us these metaphors to describe who we are as Christians. We are the salt of the earth. This world is dying, it's decaying, and He's saying, "Hey, you're salt."
Abiding in Him
You're also light. He's placing us in this dark world so that we can shine the light of Christ wherever we step foot. That begins in our homes, in our neighborhoods, and in our workplaces. We are the light of the world. Now, here's the key—Jesus said He's the light of the world, right? In order for us to shine, in order for us to be the salt of the earth, we have to learn to abide in Him. As I have fellowship with the Lord, as I abide in Jesus, He's going to give me eyes to see people the way I need to see people—through eyes of love. He's going to teach us how to be generous, sacrificial, and the point of all these deeds, when we love on people, when we give to people, it says this: "Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."
Putting Jesus on Display
When we do good works, they're not about us. Actually, our good works are for the purpose of putting Jesus on display. When I forgive somebody that's hurt me, hurt my family, hurt my friend—what am I doing? I'm sharing how Jesus has changed my life. Sometimes people ask me, "Why are you so generous with your time? How are you so quick to forgive?" Those are opportunities for me to point people to the Lord. When we do good deeds, they actually have nothing to do with us. They're all about putting Jesus on display, and that's a good opportunity to share the Gospel. For example, when I forgive somebody, the reason I can forgive is because I've been forgiven much.
Give Yourself Grace
I remember when I heard a sermon on Matthew 5 when I was about 16 years old. The preacher told us to shine the light of Christ wherever we go—be the salt of the earth, make sure that you have good deeds in your life. I felt a pressure to perform. But what I understood—and this is something that my mentor taught me—is that the purpose of any good work that I do is to point people to the Lord. He said, "Val, you're not going to do that perfectly. In fact, when you blow it, make sure that you own it." Here's why: because my weakness—when people see how weak I am, when I make a mistake—my weakness is actually what makes me relatable.
I want to encourage you with this. Maybe you're struggling to be a light, to be the salt of the earth, to do good deeds. Give yourself grace. Maybe you need to take off the mask. Sometimes people live a double life, and that takes a lot of work. What we have to understand is our lives here on this earth are not going to be perfect. But the direction that they need to be going in is towards the things of God. We should be growing in holiness, growing in generosity, growing in loving our enemies. Let's remember the point of every good work. He says this: "Let your good deeds shine out for all to see"—here it is—"so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."
