Living in the Spirit

September 26, 2021

Scripture Reading: Mark 9:38-50

‘If any of you put a stumbling-block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.

‘For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.’ –Mark 9:42-50

As an adult, I have never been a student of the theology of eschatology–concerned with death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind. No doubt my reaction is the result of being overdosed with it as a child.

What I have discovered is that people are good at creating hell on earth for themselves and others. My local morning news almost daily opens with stories about who was killed in my city the night before. National news often reports on mass shootings of innocent people buying groceries, working at their jobs, or attending school. People in the streets constantly shout, “You cannot make me wear a mask, get a vaccination, or socially distance.” They are not saying aloud but are implying that they do not care who might get sick and die, including themselves, because they failed to do such simple things.

I recently discovered that in trying to be healthy, I had cut back too much on salt. I love salt, and it is effortless for me to overdo it. However, I started getting leg cramps, and when I reported that to my orthopedic surgeon, he asked me if I was eating enough salt. He could see no other reason for the cramps. No one in my entire life had ever asked me if I was getting enough salt. Then, I remembered that I had recently switched from drinking regular vegetable juice to low sodium. That change had lowered my salt intake enough to cause the leg cramps.

For our souls to survive and thrive in our world today, we must be sure we are intaking enough of God’s Love in our lives to sustain us through life’s challenges and allows us to live at peace with one another. We must pass the Love of God much more actively to all our neighbors to the ends of the earth.

Prayer: Lord, heal our souls and restore us through your Love to be people of peace. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.