[Jesus speaking]
Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.

I have a son in college, and a daughter in her senior year of high school, thinking about going to college. Both are trying to consider what their future career skills might be as they pick a major. Whether you go to college or not, most people carefully consider what position they would like to ideally be in down the road in their career. This involves planning out entry level jobs to gain work experience and skills, studying to gain knowledge that will separate them as excellent in their craft, and practicing and working hard to learn their trade. So much energy is exerted in this pursuit, that many people make work their life. We refer to these people as “workaholics”.

While balance is healthy, I wonder what would happen to our families, our communities, and our world, if people began to transition even a 10th of the time they spend planning for and developing their work careers on their spiritual development.

The above two parables about warfare and salt seem a little cryptic. What if the common thread in both of them referred to the passion and intent for following Christ we exhibit in life? Will we passionately prepare and plan ahead to put ourselves in a winning position, with Jesus and his army of angels by our side, as we take spiritual ground? Or will we aimlessly wander around and fight through this life ill-prepared and in our own strength? Will our life have a vibrancy of love to it that seasons those around us? Or will we become jaded by life’s challenges and let our salt, our spiritual passion and flavor in life, go bland and die?

Jesus is calling us to commit with our minds and our hearts to following and serving him! The implication is we can do this both with the strategy of a military general and the passion of an amazing chef. So what shall we say?

Lord, I want to passionately and logically follow you. Help me to season the lives of those around me and strategically share the gospel in a dark world. I want to be more and more spiritually alive in your Spirit!