“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.”
Matthew 5:13 (NLT)
Today’s thoughts:
Do you know salt is essential to life and health, but when we use too much of it, salt becomes harmful to us? We find salt in our bodies. It is present in our blood, sweat, and tears. Also, during Jesus’ time, people traded with salt as a commodity. Salt is a fantastic element in our world.
We find references to salt throughout the Old and New Testaments. In olden times, it was used as a seasoning, a preservative, a disinfectant, a part of ceremonial offerings, and as a type of money exchange. In the Bible, we find it used to signify stability, loyalty, durability, fidelity, usefulness, value, and purification.
Salt of the Earth
What does Jesus mean when he calls us to be “the salt of the earth?” Like salt’s usefulness to the body, we are called to bring the life-saving salt of Jesus to a dying world. As a commodity, we offer the wealth of our knowledge of Christ to the lost to help redeem their souls. Like salt, we are essential to the eternal life of others, and we can make them thirst after the word of God.
But, the verse also warns us about salt losing its flavor. In Biblical times, salt might be found contaminated with other minerals. These additional minerals left the salt without taste. For us, this might symbolize how the sins of this world contaminate us, so our witness loses its appeal to others.
Staying Salty
As the salt of the earth, we need to live as pure a life as possible so that we can offer the Lord’s message as “flavor” to season the lives of those around us. But, we must use cause. As we start to believe things like false doctrines, we lose our authentic saltiness. And eventually, we become unsalty. Finally, our words become worthless and hollow. Prayer for God to keep us salty Christians.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for using such simple things as salt to teach us about sharing the gospel. Thank you for allowing us to share our saltiness with those who need You. Help us always to remember to be Your salt and light in the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Reflection
How can you be the salt of the earth to those closest to you?
Blessings,
Yvonne M. Morgan, author, blogger, and speaker.
Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
100% of the proceeds from sales of my book, Turning Mountains Into Molehills, help the orphans at Orphan Relief Effort, Inc.
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