Anticipate :: Devo #12

Salt of the Earth
“Muzungu!” Bill and I heard this often during our mission trip to Uganda. Youngsters would point, laugh and call out to us. So much that I decided when asked my name (by the kids), I would say, “Muzungu.” Muzungu is a general term for “white man,” and comes from the description applied to the British in East Africa to describe how the native peoples saw these European visitors: the word conveys the meaning of a lot of action with no good purpose, like a dog chasing its tail. The British stood out in this foreign land. And earned a special name for it.

In Matthew 5:13, 14 Jesus tells us to be “salt” and “light.” Salt because he wants us to heal, preserve and bring flavor; he doesn’t want us to be bland, flavorless and purposeless, rather we are to be full of life, purposeful and useful to the world through our sharing of God’s love. And he says our light should shine before others so that they may see our good deeds and praise God; he wants us to stand out in the world because of saving knowledge of Christ. Read Acts 3:1-10. What is the reaction to the compassion demonstrated by Peter in his healing of the cripple?

How should being salt and light actually manifest itself in OUR lives? In Colossians 3:12, Paul says, “As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” When we are in the Dominican Republic we will stand out for the color of our skin, the way we dress, our language and our way of doing things. That’s the easy part. Will we also stand out because of our compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience as befitting of the name we carry: Christians?

Prayer
Pray that we might stand out in the sense of Colossians 3:12 and that God be praised with the enthusiasm of the beggar healed by Peter. Pray for the March travel group as the days wind down ~ and the stress of preparation rises ~ and for the June travel group as they continue their preparation.