Shepherd's Heart 3/14/25
A Call to Be Salt and Light
John Stott once said, “We should not ask, ‘What is wrong with the world?’ for that diagnosis has already been given. Rather, we should ask, ‘What has happened to the salt and light?’”
The problem has always been clear, sin. Sin ensnares, divides, and distances us from each other and from God. It erodes our ability to see one another as neighbors, people to be loved, listened to, and learned from. When we lose sight of our shared humanity, we lose sight of grace. And yet, God works through creation. God works through us.
But grace is hard to experience when our hearts are gripped by sin. And not just the obvious ones like violence or injustice, but the subtle, creeping sins that take root and slowly silence the voice of God in our lives.
Hate. Anger. Seeing people as enemies. Choosing division over relationship. Sacrificing character for power. Dishonesty to get ahead. These sins don’t just harm us individually, they erode the witness of the Church.
The diagnosis is clear: we have a sin problem. But what is the antidote? Can we simply try harder to be better people? No. We are powerless on our own. Left to ourselves, we become overwhelmed, trapped, and distant from the life Jesus calls us to.
But there is good news. The Best news!
Jesus has come to set us free. Jesus has come to show us a better way. Jesus has come to make us salty again, to rekindle our light so that darkness has no place among us.
And it begins with confession. With repentance. With truth-telling.
We must be honest with ourselves and with one another. We must reject the false gods of political division, power, and fear, and instead follow the Risen and Crucified Savior. This is the only way forward. This is how chains are broken, lives are restored, and hope is renewed; choosing again and again the way of Jesus.
The world is desperate for salt and light. It needs people who season conversations with love, who illuminate a better way of living, who refuse to be swept away by the tides of hatred and division. And that is our calling.
So today, let’s check in. Have we lost our saltiness? Has our light dimmed? Have we drifted from the way of Jesus?
If so, it’s time to recenter. To repent. To recommit.
The way of Jesus is not just a better way, it is the way. Let’s walk in it.
~Pastor Jake Roberts
John Stott once said, “We should not ask, ‘What is wrong with the world?’ for that diagnosis has already been given. Rather, we should ask, ‘What has happened to the salt and light?’”
The problem has always been clear, sin. Sin ensnares, divides, and distances us from each other and from God. It erodes our ability to see one another as neighbors, people to be loved, listened to, and learned from. When we lose sight of our shared humanity, we lose sight of grace. And yet, God works through creation. God works through us.
But grace is hard to experience when our hearts are gripped by sin. And not just the obvious ones like violence or injustice, but the subtle, creeping sins that take root and slowly silence the voice of God in our lives.
Hate. Anger. Seeing people as enemies. Choosing division over relationship. Sacrificing character for power. Dishonesty to get ahead. These sins don’t just harm us individually, they erode the witness of the Church.
The diagnosis is clear: we have a sin problem. But what is the antidote? Can we simply try harder to be better people? No. We are powerless on our own. Left to ourselves, we become overwhelmed, trapped, and distant from the life Jesus calls us to.
But there is good news. The Best news!
Jesus has come to set us free. Jesus has come to show us a better way. Jesus has come to make us salty again, to rekindle our light so that darkness has no place among us.
And it begins with confession. With repentance. With truth-telling.
We must be honest with ourselves and with one another. We must reject the false gods of political division, power, and fear, and instead follow the Risen and Crucified Savior. This is the only way forward. This is how chains are broken, lives are restored, and hope is renewed; choosing again and again the way of Jesus.
The world is desperate for salt and light. It needs people who season conversations with love, who illuminate a better way of living, who refuse to be swept away by the tides of hatred and division. And that is our calling.
So today, let’s check in. Have we lost our saltiness? Has our light dimmed? Have we drifted from the way of Jesus?
If so, it’s time to recenter. To repent. To recommit.
The way of Jesus is not just a better way, it is the way. Let’s walk in it.
~Pastor Jake Roberts
Posted in Shepherds Heart