Sprinkling Salt
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Matthew 5:13-15
13. "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men. 14. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. 15. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
Perhaps you don’t think these images all “go together!” I used to feel that way, too, until I read more about salt and light and thought about how we as individuals can influence our world. Jesus telling the listeners they were the “salt of the earth” was a very high compliment. Salt is
the most essential element. We need it to survive, to flavor our foods and to preserve them. In Jesus’ time, salt was precious. It was very labor intensive to produce. If one didn’t live near salt water, it had to be transported and was very costly. Since there was no way to refrigerate foods, salt was used to preserve foods so they would last through the season. Also, salt was used as an insulator in their clay ovens. So, you see, life was almost impossible without salt!
Salt was essential, yet also a part of daily life. Using salt is what people did, it was how they lived. And as Christians, we are called to be “salty.” We are to live our lives as if it was only natural to be Christ-like in every deed and action and thought. And we are called to “sprinkle salt” as we go. We are to engage others and to use every opportunity to introduce (or reintroduce) them to Christ. I have found some very “casual” ways of interjecting Jesus into many conversations I have throughout my day. Standing in lines is a great way to talk to people – they’re stuck there with you!
Beyond that, we are to a light for the world. And the world is a very “dark” place right now. Corruption, greed, idolatry, immorality, every kind of sinful behavior you can think of is reported on the evening news and exhibited with blatant, shameless frequency and reckless abandon. We must take our stand and shine the light of Christ for a world lost and stumbling in the darkness. We must rise above the world and show them the way – by how we live our lives. It may seem like a daunting task. I so often think to myself that I’m just one person—how can I make a difference. But then I remember I am not alone. I am not just one—I have Jesus and all the fellow believers.
When we “hide our light under a bushel” we deny the world the opportunity to hear our testimony. We disobey God and defy the message of Jesus. Jesus tells us to go out and make disciples in all the world. Even if our world only consists of our neighborhood, our city, our state, our country—we need to start somewhere, right? I have found that the more I shine my light, the brighter it shines. The more people I reach out to, the more blessed I am. I don’t mean I
feel blessed—I mean I
am blessed.
God blesses obedience and faithfulness. Perhaps not with material things. Perhaps not even in the ways I think I want to be blessed. But He certainly blesses me. And His blessings are without exception so much more than I could ever conceive.
My prayer today is that you will sprinkle salt everywhere you go. And that you’ll be a light for this dark and fallen world.
Mary
