Create Spiritual Thirst

Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples.
–1 Chronicles 16:8

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told His followers what our purpose is here on earth. He said, “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). What did He mean by that? In Jesus’s day, one purpose of salt was to enhance thirst. For example, salt was given to animals so they would take in the proper amount of water. You probably have heard the old adage “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” That is true, but you can salt the oats. Salt creates thirst.

In the same way, Jesus said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” Unfortunately, we live in a world in which a lot of people are not thirsting after righteousness. They have no desire for a right relationship with God. One reason God left you and me here on this earth is to help create a thirst for righteousness.

How do you do that? Let’s say you go out to dinner with your family. It probably would not be a good idea to stand on the tabletop in the middle of the restaurant and preach a sermon. You are not going to have a receptive audience. But one thing you can do is bow your heads and pray before the meal arrives–not to make yourselves look holy but to remind people around you there is a God to whom we are all accountable.

You can also salt your speech with reminders of God’s sovereignty. When people are worried about a world leader, you can remind them God is in control; He is the one who “removes kings and establishes kings” (Daniel 2:21). Is anybody going to be saved when they hear that? Probably not, but they will be reminded there is a God.

Recently, my wife, Amy, was at an appointment, and the person who was serving her said, “I don’t know how you got this appointment. We’re all booked up.”

Amy said, “Well, I prayed that God would open up a time.” That sparked a spiritual discussion.

When Amy and I were in the ninth grade, we had an English teacher who was a Christian. She wanted to use her position to be a witness for Christ, but she also did not want to be fired for doing so. So she would choose books that had great spiritual themes, and she would ask the class questions like, “Do you think it’s possible for somebody to know what happens after death?” That was the year Amy became a Christian, and part of the catalyst was a public schoolteacher who salted the oats. That is what Jesus was talking about here. Salt creates spiritual thirst.

***

Today’s devotion is excerpted from “Straight Talk About Your Faith” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2022.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org