Salt Life or Salt of the Earth Life – Purity
660
Purity
660 02/21/2022 Purity 660 Podcast
Good
morning,
Today’s photo of the sun
reflecting off of a large building on the shores of Tampa Bay come to us from
yours truly as this was the first sunrise view from the vantage point of our
room at the Current Hotel in Tampa Florida as my wife, TammyLyn, and I decided
to enjoy our mid-winter recess and our honeymoon in the Sunshine State and according
to the weather forecast for the rest of the week it looks as though Florida will
be doing it’s best to live up to that nickname as the current reports predict temperatures
in the 80’s.
As a couple of fair skinned denizens of upstate
NY who were enthusiastic to get some sun yesterday, we learned by day’s end
that even limited exposure to the Florida sunshine could leave a mark as we
both managed to “get a little pink” after a couple of hours at the hotel pool
and a late day afternoon stroll through the trails at the Upper Tampa Bay Conservation
Park. We are now armed with a higher
gauge of sunscreen and look forward to seeing where the Lord will take us as we
trust the Lord to direct our path through His leadings, but we will be sure to
use Google Maps to get us from point to point as we have the desire to be spontaneous
and safe in our travels.
As we are now in the thick of “Salt Life”
country, I can see why so many people move to Florida and why so many people
have those “Salt Life” stickers on their cars, even as far away as back home in
upstate NY.
Frankly, I thought that to have a Salt Life
sticker on your vehicle when you live no where near the ocean was somewhat
ridiculous but now I realize that my opinion was a little harsh as those
stickers merely reflect the love those people have for the beach life and
possibly for the fishing, diving, and surfing that surround it as I learned that
the Salt Life Company does not only sell apparel that was specifically designed
to endure the rugged wear and tear of salt water sports but they also sell the “salt
life” lifestyle as they provide recipes for “salt life” foods, work outs to
keep you in “salt life shape” and travel guide information so you can plan your
next “salt life” adventure. Salt
Life now has 15 retail locations to sell their gear, 3 Salt Life Food Shack locations,
and even their own Salt Life podcast! Apparently if you are into it, the “Salt Life”
could be more than just a label it could be a way of life.
If we look at all the different fashion labels
like Salt Life, Carhartt, John Deere, or Levi’s, etc., we can see that people
can really identify with brands and become loyal to them to the point that they
can seem to take on an identity that is based on their label’s “lifestyle”.
As much as I can understand how we should
appreciate quality craftsmanship and certain hobbies and the lifestyles that
surround them, I fear that in some ways our hobbies and lifestyle choices are
slowly becoming a religion unto themselves as the time that was traditionally
reserved for worshipping the Lord has been surrendered to the world system that
encourages any choice under the sun as long as it doesn’t honor the Son of God,
Jesus Christ.
As the ruler of the earth, Satan doesn’t
necessarily have to force you to reject Jesus outright. The enemy is perfectly
content if you just “worship” something else more than God because he knows
that a soul that isn’t seeking the Lord is one that won’t find Him.
The world is filled with compelling environments,
hobbies, and areas of interests to enjoy and explore. While there is nothing inherently wrong with
most of the choices for fashion or the activities that we can enjoy to occupy
our time, if we have a focus in life that causes us to ignore our relationship
with God even the most wholesome brands and activities could put us in mortal
danger as our hearts and minds are focused on the circumstantial happiness that
our things and activities can provide rather than on our relationship with God
and our ultimate destiny in eternity.
God’s first revealed commandments in Exodus
20 told us that we are to have no other gods
before Him and that we were not to make idols out of anything that is in heaven
above, on the earth beneath, or that is in the water (sorry Salt Lifers) under
the earth; that we should bow down to them or serve them.
So as much as we may “love” the beach, or “love”
fishing, or “love anything else, we should remember what Jesus told us to love
first.
Matthew 22:37-38 (NKJV)
37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD
your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38 This
is the first and great commandment.
Hey
man, I get it. I am rather fond of the surroundings of the “salt life” too but
even though I love the sun, surf, and sand I know that the One who made it all
is the One we should love and honor with our worship.
So
even though I found myself waking up to a day of “salt life” before me yesterday,
I made a point of spending the first part of my day in Tampa a time where I
communed with the Lord through the study of His word. I was so moved by my time
with the Lord that I even decided to share the joy of what I had found by
podcasting an impromptu Bible Study based on Psalm 16. I know the sun was outside waiting for me to enjoy
it, but I found joy reflecting on my relationship with God that was made
possible through the Son, Jesus Christ.
And I
soon found my joy was to be increased because no sooner did I finish sharing yesterday’s
spontaneous podcast than I discovered that my wife had started streaming our church’s
Sunday morning service via Facebook! So
just when I might have been worried about my wife maybe getting restless and
seeking to see Florida, I learned that God had given me the perfect life
partner as her priority was to love the Lord with all her heart, soul, and mind
first.
TammyLyn
and I worshipped along with the folks at Starpoint Church in Clifton Park NY
from our hotel room in Tampa Florida via Facebook and then we spent the rest of
the day rejoicing over all that the Lord had provided us with, and repeatedly
thanked Him, as we enjoyed the sun, water, and each other’s love on our first day
in Florida.
God
made us to enjoy His creation and a deep personal relationship with Him. Christ calls us to be the salt and light of
the earth. So enjoy all things the Lord
has provided us with, but never make the mistake of just enjoying the gifts
without showing your love and appreciation for the Gift Giver!
Life
is to be lived and enjoyed but to truly know the meaning and purpose of your
life be sure to live your life in God’s presence and according to His will.
If
you keep walking and talking with God, you will discover that every moment of
our lives is sacred as we can always thank the Lord for the day He has made,
and rejoice and be glad, that because of the new life we have through faith in
Jesus Christ, we are known and loved by Him.
Today’s Bible verse come to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book
for Men”.
This morning’s meditation verse is:
1
Corinthians 2:13 (NLT2)
13 When we tell you these
things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak
words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual
truths.
Today’s Bible
verse speaks of the fact that the things we know about God and the assurance we
have of being His children are supernaturally revealed.
The Bible, the
word of God, is said to be “God breathed”, meaning that while men physically
wrote down the words of the Bible, they were inspired to write them by God
Himself as they were moved by God’s Spirit to share what the Lord wanted His
people to know.
So any wisdom
drawn from the word of God was spiritually provided and when we understand the
word of God in a way that has a personal impact on us we should know that we
didn’t just figure it out. The lessons
that we learn through the word of God that impact how we live are spiritually
discerned, meaning that the Holy Spirit is communicating with us, and we are
receiving His messages.
The ability for
Christians to experience the fruit of the Spirit in their lives as an experiential
reality is a product of spiritual discernment.
Not only do I
mentally agree with “the idea” that I am free from sin, I somehow come to the
realization that this is literally true in my life and I now have the ability
to not only say no to the sins that used to beset me, I now am experiencing my
freedom from them in that the things that used to tempt and enslave me no
longer have their hold over me and my heart finds them detestable or foolish
rather than attractive and alluring.
Not only do I “hope
for heaven” someday, but I also know in my heart that I am never going to die
and even if I should die physically I know that it will only be a transition as
the Spirit of God has shown me that to be absent from the body only means that
I will be present with the Lord.
The
experiential heart understanding of who we are in Christ and to experience the peace
and joy of the implications of being a child of God are given to us through the
Holy Spirit revealing them to us. We know
what the Spirit of God has shown us in His word and when we believe it by faith,
we can experience it now and then we can be confident in sharing it with
others.
The words we
speak and the lessons we teach that are drawn from God’s word are not our
words. They are not our wisdom. They are the words and wisdom of God, Himself,
and it is only through the Holy Spirit that we could know them.
The information we have received is the
difference between life and death and God has lovingly revealed it to us
through spiritual means to make an experiential impact on our lives and the
lives around us. So walk in the Spirit and thank God for all that you know
about Him and about who you are as His adopted child.
As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org
where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors
to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from June Hunt’s Codependency:
Balancing an Unbalanced Relationship.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes
and encourage all to purchase June Hunt’s books for your own private study and to
support his work. This resource is
available on many websites for less than $5.00.
B. What Is a Codependent Relationship?
The classic codependent relationship is typically characterized by an
emotionally weak person who feels the need to be connected to an
emotionally strong person. The so-called strong one is actually
weak because of the need to be needed. Both are insecure and become entangled
in a web of emotional bondage. The two combine to produce a destructive cycle
of manipulation and control, draining joy and happiness out of life. Because
this destructive dynamic is often subconscious, both parties can feel innocent
of any wrongdoing. Yet, God knows that their self-absorbed motives are consumed
with trying to fill an empty emotional bucket that has no bottom.
“All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the
Lord.” (Proverbs
16:2)
The Codependent Relationship Profile
- Both feel
a loss of personal identity. - Both
violate their consciences. - Both have
difficulty establishing healthy, intimate relationships. - Both
struggle with low self-worth. - Both
control and manipulate. - Both have
difficulty setting boundaries. - Both
become jealous and possessive. - Both fear
abandonment. - Both
experience extreme ups and downs. - Both are
in denial. - Both have
a false sense of security. - Both
usually have one other addiction besides the relationship. - Both feel
trapped in the relationship.
Question: “Is a friendship codependent when two
friends depend on one another?”
Answer: No,
if the friendship is interdependent (reciprocal with balanced sharing), then it
is healthy. If the friendship is codependent (out of balance), then it is
unhealthy.
“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)
- —An
Unhealthy, Codependent Friendship - »
One friend is weak and troubled; the other friend is strong
and competent. (There is an imbalance of power and of give-and-take.) - »
One friend desires freedom to enjoy other significant relationships but
is fearful of doing so. The other friend desires exclusivity and becomes
easily jealous or threatened. - »
Both may put the other friend in the place of Christ, and neither is
bettered by the friendship. - —A
Healthy, Interdependent Friendship - »
Both come together as equals with a balance of power and of
give-and-take. - »
Both pursue and enjoy other significant relationships and avoid
exclusivity. - »
Both friends are better because of each other. Each strengthens the other
spiritually.
Biblical Illustration: During a difficult time in David’s life, his
dearest friend, Jonathan, didn’t try to draw David to himself. Instead, the
Bible says, “Jonathan… helped him [David] find strength in God”
(1 Samuel 23:16).
Question: “As an employee, how can I keep
codependency out of my workplace?”
Answer:
Don’t be afraid to establish and maintain appropriate boundaries.
- —Don’t try
to be your employer’s “all-in-all”—the one who will always do
everything. - —Don’t be
controlled by manipulation and fear. - —Don’t let
staying late be a detriment to your God-given, personal priorities. If the
work load is too great to accomplish what you have been hired to do in the
time allowed, you could express an accurate picture to your employer in
this way: “Mr. (employer’s name), thank you for the
opportunity to work on this assignment. We seem to have run into a
problem. You have employed me to be here 40 hours a week; however, there
is at least 100 hours of work to be done. How do you want me to prioritize
my tasks and utilize my 40 hours this week?” - —Don’t be
afraid to say no when it’s appropriate to say no.
“Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’” (Matthew 5:37)
Question: “Should I date a woman who is secure,
confident, and competent or someone who is insecure, from a difficult
background, and really needs me?”
Answer: You
can be a knight in shining armor and rescue a damsel in distress. But once you
have rescued her and she goes on with her life, she will not value you as a
person—only as a rescuer. You want to be wanted because you are loved, not
because of emotional unhealthiness.
- —Someone
who is emotionally healthy can love you out of strength and will be able
to accept you unconditionally and offer you security in a relationship. - —Someone
who is emotionally needy is typically self-focused and limited in ability
to be sensitive to the needs of others. Emotionally needy people are more
often “takers” than “givers” in relationships and
“use people up” emotionally.
Seek someone with emotional maturity and spiritual wisdom, someone who can
help you to grow more and more in your relationship with the Lord.
“He who walks with the wise grows wise.” (Proverbs 13:20)
Biblical Counseling Keys: Codependency: Balancing an Unbalanced Relationship.
—————————more
tomorrow————————
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”,
“Freedom in Christ” series of Discipleship Classes via the
mt4christ247 podcast!
at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts
(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts,
Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com.
These teachings are also available on the
MT4Christ247 You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTxjSNstREpuGWuL0bF3U7w/featured
Email me
at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be
encouraged.
My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Facebook
Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)
Encouragement for the Path of Christian
Discipleship
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