Gratitude in the Fire

“Everyone will be salted with fire.” (Mark 9:49-50)

Jesus wasn’t speaking in metaphorical poetry. He was giving us a spiritual reality: the path of following Him will burn away what isn’t of Him.

It will hurt.

It will challenge.

And if we resist it, we risk becoming men and women who lose their edge.

That’s the real danger—not the fire itself, but what happens when we let it harden us instead of refine us.

Can you feel the pull towards a hardened heart? No matter what life has thrown our way, that’s not our portion. That’s not truth. That’s the enemy hoping we forget what we know:

That refinement is part of the journey.

That every season has purpose—even the heavy ones.

That gratitude is not a feeling—it’s a weapon.

Jesus affirms that salt is good. It purifies. It preserves. It holds value.

But He also warns us—it can lose its saltiness.

And when it does?

We lose our impact.

We lose our voice.

We lose the power to be God’s preserving influence in a world that’s constantly decaying.

But here’s the grace in it: Jesus doesn’t end with the fire or the salt. He ends with peace.

“Be at peace with one another.” (50)

That’s the goal. Not just individual refinement. Not just personal holiness.

But wholeness—restored relationships, unity, and mutual grace.

So today, if you’re in the fire—don’t pull away.

Let it refine you. Let it remind you. Let it rebuild you.

Because the fire is part of the process.

The salt is what keeps us strong.

And the peace is what sustains the journey—together.