Imagine walking alongside someone like Lord Jesus, witnessing him heal the sick, perform miracles, preach the good news, and drive out demons without ever once faltering. How would you feel in the presence of greatness? Would you aspire to be like Him - the greatest?
The disciples experienced this feeling, and it led to an unfortunate debate among themselves over who was the greatest, as stated in Mark 9:34. They were so consumed by the awe-inspiring experiences they were having that they failed to understand the warnings Jesus gave them about his impending death, as stated in Mark 9:32.
Despite seeing all these great things repeatedly, the disciples repeatedly failed because of their unbelief. Even when they couldn't cast out a demon, Jesus was exasperated with their faithlessness, as stated in Mark 9:19.
But what happens when you see Jesus on the cross and don't understand what is happening? What if you see Jesus unable to save himself? Will you still have confidence in Him? All the disciples ran, and even Peter denied him thrice.
To have REAL confidence in Christ, you must understand WHY He had to die. Your faith should be rooted in your own understanding from His words in the Bible. All the disciples had a relationship with Him because they spent most of their time with Jesus, but they failed to comprehend the purpose of his death.
If you genuinely do not know Jesus Christ, you may feel disappointed in God when something you want doesn't happen. You may still feel the struggles of life, even though you know the Lord. Then we ask God, "Why do we have to struggle if God is good?" Following Jesus is a struggle, but it is purposeful.
Jesus said “Where their worm [which preys on the inhabitants and is a symbol of the wounds inflicted on the man himself by his sins] does not die, and the fire is not put out. [Isa. 66:24.] For everyone shall be salted with fire.”Mark 9:48-49 AMPC https://bible.com/bible/8/mrk.9.48-49.AMPC
The fire is the pain we experience because of our self-inflicted wounds by our sins.
then Jesus continues to state that;
“Salt is good (beneficial), but if salt has lost its saltness, how will you restore [the saltness to] it? Have salt within yourselves, and be at peace and live in harmony with one another.”
Mark 9:50 AMPC https://bible.com/bible/8/mrk.9.50.AMPC
We are salted by our wounds. AMPC states that these are self inflicted by our sins. However, it is important to remember that salt is beneficial, salt must not lose it is saltiness. We are salted with fire (pain). We Therefore, we must have salt within ourselves, be at peace, and live in harmony with one another, as stated in Mark 9:50.
Through our self-inflicted wounds, we can find purpose and ultimately achieve peace. Salt plays a crucial role in attaining harmony, and we can observe this through the concept of being "seasoned" in a specific skill. A seasoned individual possesses the wisdom to find tranquility in their work due to their wealth of experience. Salted by fire is the key to peace and harmony.
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