daily java

Daily Java:

Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other. (Mark 9:50 NLT)

Make a flip comment that turns out wrong and you understand what this verse means.

It means that once you have lost your moral power, your ethical strength, it is virtually impossible to recover. At least among the people where you lost it.

Our influence is like salt. It flavors all we do and say, and in fact all we are. People see us through the prism of that influence.

If your influence is bad, people see you as bad. If it is wishy-washy, that is how people see you. If you lie a lot, or even if you don’t always keep your word, people see you as basically, if not dishonest, then undependable.

A Christ-follower keeps his or her influence as sharp and clean as possible. Because once it is lost, it is just about irrecoverable.

In the old days, salt was not all that stable like it is today. If it got wet, or exposed to the elements, it would lose it saltiness and become nothing more than No-Salt, that horrible tasting fake salt we used to use. In other words, it became worthless.

And since salt was sometimes used as currency (the old expression “worth his salt” came from that), it had to be kept covered and protected or you lost something valuable. If you lost your salt, nothing tasted all that good anymore.

If you lose your “salt”, your moral imperative, your influence, you have lost something valuable. That currency of influence we all want to have, that aura that makes people respect us as ethical, is gone. And all because you didn’t keep it safe.

It may be your influence in your business, or among your friends or even with your children. They know, more than anyone, whether or not you keep your word and your promises. You may fool a lot of people, but you will not fool your kids.

And once they see you as not keeping your word, there is little you can teach them.

Guard that power. Otherwise you will not be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong (Titus 1:9). All they will see is another waffler like they are.

ps  On this note, George Savage in his article on Leadership Lessons from the US Military in ricochet.com, said:

Credibility is essential, takes a lifetime to earn and a moment to throw away.  Subordinates will listen to what you say but always compare your words to what you do and who you are.  Hone authenticity and earn credibility if you expect to lead. Guess what?  This is hard work – no shortcuts.

 Absolutely true.