MATTHEW 5:13 – “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 trampled under people’s feet.”

THEME OF THE DAY: SALT OF THE EARTH.  The theme of the day is one of the roles of God’s people in the world. Jesus promised before He ascended to heaven we would receive power to be His witnesses throughout the world – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).  Being salt in the world is an aspect of that promise and power but what does that mean?  The best way to understand our role as salt in the world is to define the literal purposes of salt.  However, we must establish two things.

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth” not “salt in our safe and exclusive Christian circles.”  Nor did He say, “You are the salt in our homes.”  Yes, we are to be salt in and before our families, but Jesus reminds us our salt influence is to the “human family” – all the people we encounter in life.

The next thing to establish is our salt role is not optional, meaning we are going to be salt. The question is what type – good salt as the Lord would have us, or the worthless salt Jesus describes at the end of today’s scripture?  Now the good properties of literal salt and the spiritual applications for us in the world.

First, salt irritates.  Ever get salt in a cut?  It burns. It hurts. It irritates.  As Christians, the righteousness of Christ lived out in our society irritates the unrighteous.  When John the Baptist confronted King Herod about how wrong it was for him to take his brother’s wife as his own, he was being righteous before an unrighteous king. It did it not end well for John the Baptist.  He got beheaded because of his “salt” influence on Herod (Mark 6:16-29).  And it will be so for us. A righteous stand in an unrighteous society causes irritation and there will be some form of persecution for us as a result.

Next, salt preserves.  Salt was and is still a fundamental method for preserving food, especially meat and fish.  As the spiritual salt Jesus says we are, the application is that our righteous living in an unrighteous society preserves a sense of morality; of moral restraint.  We have a responsibility to influence our culture with righteous lives that not only irritate its sinfulness but preserves a moral standing in a godless nation.

A third purpose of salt is it flavors food.  It brings forth good taste.  As spiritual salt, we are to present the sweet savor of Christ for others to see His Wonderful Person through us (2 Corinthians 2:14). Our witness for Jesus as salt includes a spiritual attractiveness that shows a watching world the loving truth of Him.

Finally, salt creates thirst.  A story unfolded like this; a group of young Christians were talking about today’s scripture, of being the salt of the world, and the question arose, “What does salt do?”  The answers were, “It preserves things.  It increases the quality of taste in food.”  Then a pause followed by another answer, “Salt creates thirst.”  The group sat silently. Each pondering if their lives as followers of Jesus were creating a thirst in others for Him.  And that is a fitting way to close out our devotion – as the salt of the world is our influence on others creating a thirst in them for Who we have – Jesus?             

PRAYER: Father, may my life be what Your Son commanded of me – to be much needed salt in the world.

REFLECTION: Salt is a preservative, irritant, provides flavor and creates thirst.