"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." -Matthew 5:13 (NIV)
If you run around the soccer field for 90 minutes, you tend to sweat a lot. When you sweat excessively, your body loses much of its natural salt. Without salt in your body, you cannot stay hydrated. Being “salty” is an important part of being able to compete at a high level.
In the same respect, without a relationship with Jesus, you cannot absorb and learn from His Word. Learning God’s ways by reading the Bible will impact your approach to competition, but not until you give your life fully to God and accept what His Son did for you on the cross.
If you have never done this, take a moment to pray and thank God for sending Jesus to die on the cross for all that you have ever done wrong. Then ask God to take control of your life. Allowing Jesus to take control might be painful at first (just like putting salt water on an open wound), but the healing and transformation will be incredible—better than you could ever imagine!
In Mark 9:50, Jesus says, “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other” (NIV).
When you give your life to Jesus and let the Holy Spirit work in your life, you will begin to understand God’s teachings. You will begin to learn what it means to give God glory in all that you do and to be an example of His love to others. Let the Holy Spirit work inside of you so that those on your team and those watching can see God’s love through you.
So how is your “salt” level?
1. What are your thoughts about giving your life to God?
2. How does God impact your approach to your sport?
3. How might having more salt in your spiritual diet affect the way you compete?
Luke 14:34; John 4:4-14; 6:35; 15:5
Father, thank You for sending Your Son to die for my sins. I surrender my life to You.
