An Affinity For Salinity - Ron DeMiglio
Have you ever wondered why they call it the Dead Sea?The name has always made that body of water seem a little ominous to me. It's called the Dead Sea because nothing lives in it or can live in it. By all measurements it is some of the saltiest water anywhere on the earth.
The Dead Sea is almost six times as salty as the Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean and nearly ten times as salty as the Mediterranean. The Dead Sea is a completely landlocked body of water and the salinity increases with its depth. The surface of the Dead Sea is fed by the River Jordan and thus, not as salty. Down to about 130 feet (40 meters), it is comprised of about 300 grams of salt per kilogram of seawater. Below 300 feet, though, the sea has 332 grams of salt per kilogram of seawater and is completely saturated. The salt content at the bottom is so dense it simply piles up in mounds. There's no seaweed or plants of any kind in or around the water. There are no fish of any kind living in or near the water. The water in the Dead Sea is deadly to living things. The water of the Dead Sea doesn’t allow for the proliferation of marine or aquatic life. Living creatures in the Dead Sea are as plentiful as stationary lawn furniture in a tornado.
OK, I guess you get the point. Obviously, there is such a thing as too much salinity. Salt, like many things, is necessary for life to exist. Your body requires a certain amount of salt in order to remain functional. But salt is a funny thing. In sufficient quantities it becomes a lethal substance that can poison and kill any living creature. In Mathew 5:13, God calls us to be the salt of the earth. The word “earth” is used in context as referring to the people of the world. Most of us are familiar with that portion of Christ’s admonition but few pay much attention to the words that follow it. He follows that initial statement with a question. He asks, “But if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it (earth) be seasoned?” This is a rather straightforward directive as to what our role is to be with regard to the people of the world. It is also a caution as to what our value is if we lose our Christ-like seasoning attributes.
I think most of us understand that our main commission from God is to be a light to an unsaved world and do so in a way so as to glorify Him. If we truly understand this then why do so many of us cloister ourselves away from the unsaved of the earth?
We seem fixated on the notion that the adage of iron sharpening iron is all that is required in order to progress spiritually. By only seeking a form of accountability that is comfortable and formulaic we do a tremendous disservice to our own walks and to those that need to see us in that process. We need to walk out the process of spiritual maturity on our knees as well as in the public square. Not so our deeds can be seen or so we are elevated but so that Jesus Christ can be acknowledged as the author of the process and other may see Gods’ hand at work. This is seldom the chosen path for most and instead they cluster with only those that are also saved and called to be salty.
Why? Why do we allow the salt content in our lives to get to toxic levels? It might be enjoyable for us to exist in redeemed exclusion but it is not an environment that allows for life to thrive in us personally or His bride as a whole. Many of us seem bent on holing ourselves up within the confines of our church, our homes, our friends and our activities without so much as a wisp of involvement with those that don’t understand the Good News of Jesus Christ.
There is no question that the act of fellowship and accountability should be vital pursuits in any Christian walk but if one’s life is a 24/7 heathen sabbatical, I think we have missed the boat. It’s kind of hard to season anything if you stay in the shaker with all the other grains and never really hit the t-bone. Given our nature and desire to enjoy the path of least resistance, it is easy to justify a life lived only among those of like mind and convictions. As easy and enjoyable as it is, it is profoundly wrong. Salt is meant to mingle and blend in order to accent and make things more delicious. Instead of accenting and mingling with the unsaved, we run back to our Morton Tabernacle and breathe a collective sigh of relief. Far too often that process results in a Dead Sea environment. The salt no longer has a seasoning quality but is concentrated to the point of it being uninhabitable. The environment becomes poisonous not because the people are poison, but because we are not using our life as instructed.
I am also not saying that fellowship is an atmosphere that is harmful. Oh contraire! It is a needed element for believers as we hold one another accountable and encourage one another to press on. I am taking about the extremes. If we allow ourselves to become utterly immersed in nothing but fellowship we may develop a life of well intentioned but counterproductive isolationism.
Isolationism can lead to the creation of our own language or inside lingo that nobody else can relate to. It can also foster an environment that lends itself to being overly critical of others that are outside of our group. A critical heart is a heart that is no more than an eyelash away from a self-righteous, callous heart. We will have all of eternity to be with those that call Jesus Lord. Our time now is to be spent spreading the good news of Christ and not completely insulating ourselves from the glare of the nonbeliever. The Great Commission can only be engaged during the act of living alongside and serving those who don’t yet know God. Then, and only then, is your salty character of eternal, kingdom expanding value.
Don’t allow your life to be lived in an environment that is so salty it becomes toxic to anyone unfortunate enough to stray into its waters. Dead Sea headquarters will always have a functional population of zero. There may be bodies present but they will not be life sustaining or life giving. We should not allow ourselves to pile up like the salt on the floor of the Dead Sea. A big ole salty pig pile on the sanctuary carpet might be fun but it won’t draw people to Jesus. Contrary to popular opinion, it is not a healthy habitat for Christians to live in either. The body of Christ is most functional when those seeking Christ, those new in Christ and those mature in Christ interact together in a common cause. The possibilities for growth, discovery, mentoring and service are endless. This type of an environment only happens when the flavor of our salvation is used as intended. Go on, take a chance, let your hair down, roll up your sleeves and venture out into the land of bland. The world will be a tastier place and your faith will be confirmed and energized.
A Prayer:
Lord, I wish for a purposeful and ordered walk in the service of you. At times my witness feels random and scattered to say the least. Bring into my life those people with whom I might share you with and those that will see you by virtue of Your hand in my life. Help me to see my life as a needed ingredient for an unsaved world. I do not wish to view those that do not know you as a source of potential conflict. Rather, cause me to see beyond the bravado of self to the obvious cry for assurance in those that do not call You Lord. I know what so many don’t and I wish for that understanding to drive me to move out of my comfort zone. I wish to season, I wish to accent and enhance. Use my life to draw others to You and keep me from seeking a life of refuge among only those of like mind.
Labels: Editorials, Ron DeMiglio
