SEASONED FOR INFLUENCE...

SEASONED FOR INFLUENCE

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality), how can its saltiness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a peck measure, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father who is in heaven” Matthew 5 : 13-16.

The idea of being “Seasoned for Influence” explains the divine enablement for impact. It implies that one who will be so taught of God will reproduce mastery in the methods he employs at living.

A seasoned (well versed, knowledgeable, established) Christian youth is like salt that purifies, preserves and enhances the flavour of food. He will influence the society and make the earth a wholesome environment to breed. “but if salt has lost its taste”? Whatever will result to this, must have resulted from an unworthy exposure to elements of corruption- “be not deceived: evil communication corrupts good manners” 1Corinthians 15: 33. This is true of a youth who sways off living the life that is true to his calling as a Christian. Thus, he will become unserviceable, “It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men”. He becomes reduced to dormancy; he becomes an abandoned vessel – he cannot be properly established in his domain.

We are also to be light. Light is a powerful symbol mentioned in the initiating book of the Bible “...God said: let there be light: and there was light” Genesis 1: 3; also at the concluding chapter of the Bible. “For The Lord God giveth them light”... Revelation 22: 5. Hence, the Bible is described as “a light unto my path” Psalm 119: 105. Because Jesus is “The Light of the world” John 8: 12 sent by God, who Himself is “Light” 1John 1: 5, those who are in Christ automatically become the light of the world! Therefore, we need to be connected with Christ in the same way as a light bulb needs to be connected to a viably source of light, if it must give light.

Light cannot be equated with any other function but illumination, to give guidance in darkness. We have to be visible if we must influence our world.

It follows that the world in which we are put by God, needs these qualities of sweetness and illumination. The devil is the prince of this world that we live in, it is a place of audacious immorality, decay and darkness. Ever since Adam’s disobedience, he became stripped of saltiness and illumination, he lost the authority that God had given to him.

Once an end user of any product violates the instructions on the manufacturer’s manual, he would not get the intended benefits from the product. The devil and his cohorts will work endlessly at stopping you in your efforts to live as God has prescribed. He constantly attacks the mind because he knows that is your seat of decision making- no action is manifested without the mind initiating its consideration. God has not barned the devil from our world. It is only one door we have gotten to our minds- the same door through which we receive God’s counsel is the same that satan suggests his methods to us. As Christian youths, we MUST be seen to always maintain our stand with God so that our seasoning will be for influence!

AyotundeAyanfe Oni

ayanfeLAMPROS