"When Christ calls the apostles the salt of the earth, he means, that it is their office to salt the earth: because men have nothing in them but what is tasteless, till they have been seasoned with the salt of heavenly doctrine... The doctrine, which has been entrusted to them, is shown to be so closely connected with a good conscience and a devout and upright life, that the corruption, which might be tolerated in others, would in them be detestable and monstrous." -John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Volume 1. What do you think Christ means when he calls us to "salt of the earth"?

What's everybody reading/studying right now on theology or Christian ethics? Drop it in the comments below 👇

Is that faith based or fact based?

I was reading this morning in Matthew 14. It says, "Immediately he (Jesus) made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭14‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭ https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.14.22-23.ESV Jesus dismissed the crowds and excused his disciples so that he could go "up on the mountain by himself to pray". Then evening came. That means Jesus probably spent hours on the mountain praying alone to the Father. Jesus, God in the flesh, made time to spend hours in prayer to the Father. How much more do we need to take extended time away to pray to the Father and spend time in God's presence?

Scripture: "The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed." Genesis 39:23 Observations: -Joseph was so trustworthy with his responsibilities that the keeper of the prison "paid no attention to anything" that Joseph was in charge of. This was a prisoner in a jail. Joseph developed an extremely high level of trust with the warden of the jail. I am sure that wasn't common. -The difference with Joseph was that "the Lord was with him". That had to have been bearing fruit. If God was with him, he must have been stewarding his responsibilities at a high level under the influence of the Holy Spirit, most likely. When we are walking closely with God, it will bear fruit such as being a better employee or worker in general. -"Whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed." Joseph was so pleasing to the Lord that He made anything Joseph touched succeed. A. I was reading this passage this morning. I asked myself, "Would someone be able to say this about me?" I want to live in such a way that God and people can trust me with any responsibility. P. Father, help me to live like Joseph. Help me to be a good steward of the responsibility you give me. Let me live in such a way that you will always be close to me and people will be able to notice. Amen.