There is a scarlet oak in my back yard that I planted as a bare root sapling. Currently it is 10 to 12 foot tall but it was a glorified stick a few years ago.

My family gave me some good natured teasing about the stick that I planted. It really didn’t look like much. Nor did it even look like it would survive after our golden retriever puppy chewed it off sometime during the first year after it was planted.

But it did survive and is thriving. It gives every indication that in the coming years it will become a beautiful tree.

Trees grow slowly and one has to be content with allowing the tree to grow at its own pace. I could overfeed it to try to make it grow faster, but that would likely kill the tree. All I can do is put the tree in the right environment, make sure it has enough water and wait. The tree will take up nutrients and water at the right pace to keep growing.

There is no magic program, no magic sermon series, no magic seminar that will cause instantaneous spiritual growth. Growth happens at a pace that is slower than we might like.

I certainly have found this to be true in my own life. Sometimes I think that I should be farther along in spiritual maturity but when I look back, I can see the slow, steady growth that has already taken place.

If you are a church leader and you are frustrated with how fast growth is taking place in your church, think of an oak tree. They do not grow fast, but they are strong. If you are a small group leader or Sunday School teacher, think of that oak which slowly absorbs the nutrients and water and grows as a result.

If we are faithful in teaching Scripture and faithful in living out what we know, if we are faithful in loving God and loving our neighbors, then those in our care will be getting the food that they need to grow.

I am reminded of the words of Paul,

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” (1 Corinthians 3:6, ESV)

Think of trees. Tall trees. Strong trees. Trees that will weather the storm.

The author of the Book of Hebrews says this about Jesus, “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2).

What would cause enough joy to make the pain and suffering of the cross worth while? Something that could provide that much joy must be something of extreme value. It must be something that is worth obtaining.

If you are wondering what Jesus considered valuable enough to make the cross worth it, take a look in the mirror.

The object of Jesus’ joy is staring back at you.

As I pointed out in a previous post about Matthew 5:13, three properties of salt stand out to me.

1. Salt makes a person thirsty
2. Adds flavor
3. Works as a preservative; it fights decay

It seems to me that all three aspects of being salt need to be in operation.

But salt also stings when it gets into wounds.

“If salt gets into a wound, it hurts, and if God’s children get amongst those who are “raw” towards God—every immoral person is an open wound towards God, their presence hurts.” – Oswald Chambers

I was trying to recall the name of the red/orange stuff that got put on scrapes when I was a kid. The internet reminded me that it was called Mercurochrome. Hopefully, its power to disinfect was in proportion to the amount of sting it inflicted because the sting of the cure seemed as bad or worse than the scrape you got in the first place.

Are Christians called to be Mercurochrome for the society around us? I’m not so sure that we are. Yes, we have the Truth in Jesus. Yes, Scripture speaks to the issues of the day, but I don’t see Jesus adding to the sting of the hurting people around him. Or, going back to the idea of salt, I don’t see Jesus rubbing salt in the wounds he encountered.

I don’t think that I can overemphasise the fact that hurting people, sinners, the dregs of society loved Jesus and Jesus loved them. Jesus did not compromise on the truth to get the people to love him. Nor did Jesus allow them to remain in their mess.

So if we use Jesus as our example of what it means to be salt and light, I think that we will have a better handle on what Jesus told us in Matthew 5:13.

I am reminded of how Jesus described his ministry in Luke 4:18-19:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (ESV)

These verses should inform our idea of what it means to be salt in the world. Do we work for economic justice? Do we work to liberate the oppressed? Do we work to bring physical and spiritual healing to those we encounter? Do we proclaim the good news of Jesus?

Yes, the church has done these things throughout the centuries, but we have also done our share of finger wagging and condemnation of those around us. We have also at times poured salt into wounds and causing more hurt than healing.

Perhaps if we did more of the things that Jesus speaks of in Luke 4:18-19 (quoting from Isaiah 61: 1-2) we would be more attractive to those outside the church.

I heard this phrase recently and thought I would share it. I can’t remember who said it but in speaking of the relationship between grace and truth he spoke of:

Truth tempered by Grace, grace fortified by Truth.

As flawed humans, we struggle to have both grace and truth operational at the same time. This is the reason why I like the phrase highlighted above.

If we speak the truth and allow grace to temper how we say it, the truth is more likely to be received.

On the other hand, we need to have truth fortify our grace. Grace without truth is a mushy acceptance which does little good in the long run.

John 1:14 tells us that these two words characterized Jesus’ ministry. He was full of both grace and truth. In other words, no more grace or truth could be contained in Jesus. We have the record of Jesus’ life and ministry, as recorded in the Gospels, to show us what the interplay of grace and truth should look like.

Truth that is not tempered by grace may turn out to be only a half truth. When I say this, I have in mind the type of preaching that is long on condemnation and short on hope. Jesus never preached that way.

The whole truth is that we are like the woman caught in adultery in John 8. Apart from Christ we are trapped in our pride, selfishness and idolatry. Jesus acknowledges the truth of the accusation but offers forgiveness and tells us to “go and sin no more.” By his completed work of salvation, Jesus offers us the freedom and the  power to accomplish this command.

May we all look to Jesus as our example of how to speak truth which is tempered by grace and offer grace which is fortified by truth.