Preserving our faith
It’s apple harvest time in the North Carolina mountains and time to preserve God’s gifts in a variety of ways to enjoy at a future time. As I fill the dehydrator with apple slices to dry and save for fried apple pies, stewed apples, and trail mix, I reflect on how to relate this process to preserving our faith.
There are many ways to preserve food. In the short term, we may use our refrigerator to keep food cold. At other times we cook food in preparation for eating and the heating process extends the length of time food can be safely eaten. However, for long term preservation (for later consumption), we need other methods. These may include:
- Canning
- Freezing
- Dehydration
- Salting
Salt was used in historical times to prevent the deterioration of meat. As a preservative, salt increased the time frame for when meat could be safely consumed. Salt limits the spread of infection, thus prevents or slows spoilage of food. If interested, this article provides more information concerning the importance of salt during Biblical times.
So how can we apply the concept of preserving food to our faith?
Obviously I’d rather not personally face any of the options I mention above–I don’t believe we want to be canned, frozen, dehydrated, or stuffed into a barrel and salted. However, the Bible reminds us to apply the concept of preservation to develop our faith and to answer the call to spread our faith. Just as salt fulfills a purpose– distributed throughout food to preserve food and enhance flavor, we have a purpose in service to our Lord.
Let’s look at the concept of faith.
Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)
Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1)
Through Christ you believe in God who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. (1 Peter 1:21)
Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12)
Faith gives us hope and peace. Through faith, we are confident in God’s great love for us. Faith grants us assurance of eternal life. Through faith, we know the truth.
How can we preserve and grow in our faith?
- Be in God’s Word. Read and study Scripture.
- Participate in Bible studies–on our own or in a group.
- Fellowship and worship with other Christians.
- Put our faith into action by serving others.
- Spread the good News of Jesus Christ to others.
- Be a mentor for beginning Christians.
And . . . two more important actions . . .
- Persevere–never give up on our mission to serve our Lord.
- Pray, pray, and pray
Just like the processes we use to preserve food (a willingness to work, knowledge, preparation, organization, perseverance, sharing the fruits of our labors with others, etc.), our choices in growing and sharing our faith are actions which serve our Lord and others.
Jesus reminds us how important we are in the process of sharing His love and light with others. We are called to share the Good News of Jesus. Just as we preserve the gift of the harvest by canning, freezing, dehydrating, or salting, we are part of the process of preserving and sharing faith to God’s people.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” (Matthew 5:13)
Amen! A much-needed reminder to persevere through the trial today. Thank you my friend. Was feeling ready to “throw in the towel” on a few fronts this week. Your timely post inspired me to quit looking inward and start looking forward.
I’ve been praying for you and the Cross-Dubya family, my friend. With the overwhelming heat and the persistent drought, I know you’ve been discouraged. I’m glad my message helped. Keep on going, kind sir–God is with you on the journey–especially through the hard times.
Thank you for this blog, Katherine. I love your illustration, and the application to our lives. I’m amazed God uses us to spread His gospel to others, and grateful for those who have faithfully gone before us. May we be found faithful as well! Blessings to you, my friend.
Thank you for your kind encouragement, Kim. It’s a big responsibility we have–serving God and others by sharing the Good News. I’m so thankful He is right with us, giving us the knowledge, strength, and courage to be His messengers. May God bless you on the journey.
Preserving the faith is a big responsibility. Thank you for this reminder. Every word we speak, every word we write has impact to either move the Good News forward or stymie it. Jesus is counting on us to be His salt in the world—to preserve His message of hope and salvation.
Yes, Suzanne, and we are blessed that He equips us as He sends us out–even the introverts! Thank you for your ministry of service to our Lord. Peace and blessings.
I liked your message of preserving and persevering. Both words are important to the Christian faith. Thanks for always providing such great insight from daily life and the message it provides for our spiritual lives!
Thank you for your encouragement, Ben. Our Father provides the tools we need to serve Him, and sometimes He sends friends to be our role models and help us on our journey. You are a wonderful role model for us, Ben. Thank you.
I pray I always preserve and persevere as God leads. Thanks for a timely reminder.
Thank you, Diana, and thank you for your service to our Lord and the wonderful example you are for us. Wishing you joy and blessings.
Great analogy. Preserving and persevering becomes more tangible in certain seasons of life. Thanks for the encouragement.
Great analogy, Katherine. Our lives should be preservatives against the rottenness of world. And I know those apples you preserved will be delicious!
I like how you expressed your thoughts, Barbara–“Our lives should be preservatives against the rottenness of the world.” I pray we can do so. Thank you for sharing and wishing you a harvest of joy and blessings.
Thank you, Sylvia. And thank you for continuing to preserve and persevere. Your ministry and service bless us.
Very good. And as we preserve our faith we help preserve the world by showing God’s love to others.
The apple season in Georgia is not quite upon us, but I’m looking forward to going over to Ellijay soon to get my stash of apples and apple products! Yum yum!
I’m enjoying my apples and I know you will, too. I’m hoping to get some apple butter made before the season ends. Hope you are blessed during these last weeks of summer.
Thank you Katherine! I sure desire to be a salty Christian.
Me too, Lisa! Although I’m not fond of extra salty food, I admit that its flavor enhances food when we add just the right amount. I hope and pray God will guide us to be “just right” in service to Him. Continuing to pray for your family.
Wonderful ways to preserve our faith and be able to share it with others!
Thank you, Kathy. I’m so grateful for your kind encouragement. Wishing you joy and blessings as the summer winds down and fall approaches. I’m looking forward to cooler temperatures, but I dread horse chores in the cold weather. Blessings!
Amen. We are called to share His love and light with others so they may know Him, too. Wonderful message Katherine. 🙂 Have a blessed day!
Thank you, Melissa. Wishing you continued blessing in your ministry to our Lord and may God continue to be with you on the journey.
Katherine, this post brought to mind 2 Timothy 3:13-15, which I had to stop and read 🙂 May we hold tightly to the truths we have been taught and remain faithful to the Lord. Blessings!
“You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (NASB)
Thank you for sharing the Scripture from 1 Timothy, Joanne. I pray we can absorb the wisdom our Father shares with us, and in turn, share the pathway of salvation with others–our Lord’s greatest gift. I’m so grateful you extended the message I’m trying to share. May God continue to bless your ministry.
Loved this post, Katherine! I giggled when I read the part about how we preserve our faith. 🙂 Great job!
Thank you for stopping by my blog, Melinda, and sharing your thoughts and encouragement. Joy and blessings!
Thanks for another encouraging post, Katherine.:-)
Thank you, Vera. Your kindness and encouragement send a blessing.
With so much around us constantly challenging our faith, the subject of preserving faith is an important one. Thank you for this encouragement to guard and grow my faith.
There are so many challenges to our faith, Terri. I’m so glad we have our group of Christian authors to encourage and support our efforts. Thank you for sharing a blessing of kindness today.
I love the word picture you draw, Katherine. And fried apple pie sounds amazing.
Thanks for sharing this encouragement for us to stay faithful in these days.
God bless!
Fried apple pies are amazing! As the cook, I tend to sample a little too often. Thank you for your encouragement. Wishing you a week filled with joy and blessings.
I love apple season especially when we lived in the north. We visited many of the apple orchards and picked them.
Great analogy Katherine. I really appreciated your comment “Persevere–never give up on our mission to serve our Lord.”. Thanks for the encouragement
Thank you, Yvonne. I’m so thankful for our group of Christian authors who grant us encouragement on our journey. May God continue to bless you and your ministry of service to Him.
You’ve found a perfect analogy for this season, Katherine. I love your insights. And I too will live with the hum of the dehydrator for the next month. We love our dried apples!
I’m thankful we have these dehydrators to ease the process of drying apples. I love them, too, and all the ways we can enjoy them in the coming year. Wishing you a happy fall, filled with joy and blessings.