May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant . . . equip you with everything good for doing his will. (Heb. 13:20–21)

“I will make a salt pig.” The potter was at the spinning wheel. His hands surrounded the blob of clay, and with precise pressure he took the ugly shapeless form and turned it into a functional salt pot, often called a salt pig. A salt pot is a ceramic jar that holds salt. A cook can easily reach a spoon or a hand into the jar to retrieve salt for sprinkling on the delicious ingredients.

The book of Hebrews features Christ as better than the old covenant—the covenant God made from the time of Adam’s sin, to Noah’s deliverance from the flood, to his promise to Abraham. Through his death on the cross, Jesus established the new eternal covenant. Christ’s blood atoned for our sins and God raised him from the dead. Through his resurrection we have eternal life.

Christ continues working in our lives. The Greek word for equip (katartizo) means “to repair what is broken.” A potter cannot re-fire broken pottery and make it whole again. However, Christ replaces the broken pieces of our lives with good things to equip us to do his will. His will as defined in Hebrews 13 is this: love others, empathize with others, shine in hospitality, honor the marriage bed, and excel in generosity. He takes the salt from our salt pigs and seasons others.

Allow God to season others generously with your life.

Gena Duncan teaches Bible classes in her church. She and her husband spend summers in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and winters in Naples, Florida.

© 2019 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.