An old man called his sons, just before his death and exhorted them to live to be contributing members of the community. To demonstrate he asked them to bring four glasses of water.
Pebble: In the first glass, he dropped a pebble. It sank and rested at the bottom of the glass. He explained that a selfish person would be like that. He will be isolated and insulated from the environment and others. Christians cannot be selfish, insulated, and isolated from the community. Selfish ambition is not a characteristic of a believer. (Philippians 2:3)
Cotton: In the second glass, he dropped a ball of cotton. It sucked the water and floated. In the world, there are selfish, even wicked people, who suck the environment and others and do not contribute anything. Sadly, many in the community suck the labor, energy, and time of others by coercion, oppression, and exploitation and live lavishly. They are like parasites who survive by harming and even killing others.
Clay: In the third glass the old man put clay, it dissolves, mixes, and contaminates the whole water. Wicked people bring wicked influence and destroy themselves and the community. In the world, some people call good as evil and evil as good. They confuse people, their thought processes, values, and behavior. (Isaiah 5:20) Because of such people the moral values in the society crash and a whole nation could become unrighteous and wicked.
Sugar: He mixed some sugar in the fourth glass. Sugar mixes, dissolves, and gives taste. Godly and good people are sweet and make their environment and community sweet. The old man exhorted his sons to be like this sugar and not like pebble or cotton or clay. Unlike this old man’s teaching, Lord Jesus taught that the disciples are the salt of the earth and light of the world. Salt adds taste and preserves the community. Light brings truth, values, love, and grace to the community that dwells in darkness. (Matthew 5:14-16)
Am I a blessing to my community like salt and light?