by Barbara Latta
Imagine sitting at a table in a fine restaurant. The gourmet food is carried to your table and placed in front of you. The steam wafts to your nose and the smell makes your mouth water. You reach for the salt shaker and turn the container to add the grains on your food. Nothing comes out.
You shake again. Still nothing. Then if you are like me, you
take the top off and look inside to see what the problem is. The salt is in the
shaker, but it is one big wad. Moisture has contaminated it and now it is no
good.
This is what Jesus meant when he said, You are the salt
of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is
then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men
(Matthew 5:13).
If we lose our taste for God, we have no witness. We become
like unflavored salt.
Why did Jesus compare believers to salt? We can find out by discovering some properties of this mineral. Here are 3 ways a salty life adds seasoning to an unflavored world:
- Salt heals by killing bacteria. The world receives the healing message of grace which kills the bacteria of sin while Christians are still on the earth. While there are sinful people on the planet, the presence of God inside believers as we expand His kingdom is thwarting the growth of contamination of the entire world. Without a spirit-indwelt person on the face of the earth, sin will grow more rampant than it is now.
- Salt adds flavor. Christians add flavor to the world by displaying the characteristics of God. Love, joy, peace and grace are gifts that season the world around us, and these only come from the Father. While some unbelievers can exhibit love and happiness, these traits are not founded on the true unconditional love of God that can change a person’s life.
- Salt preserves by removing moisture that can promote bacterial growth. Our continual saltiness can preserve future generations with the knowledge of God’s love, power, and forgiveness. The words of Jesus can remove false teaching and misunderstandings that can promote sin.
There is also an element of salt that is not good. Too much
of it. In this case, we can see that while Jesus calls His followers the salt
of the earth, the salt of the world is a different seasoning altogether.
Feeding on the attractions of sin can get us into the same trouble as consuming
too much salt would for a physical body. Some results can be high blood
pressure and kidney disease.
Too much salt makes a body thirsty. The remedy is water. If we
turn to the living water with our thirst, we can receive refreshment for a soul
that is too consumed with the saltiness of sin.
If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink (John
7:37).
Too much salt in our bodies is not healthy, but we cannot
live totally sodium free. A lack of this mineral causes factors such as
confusion, weakness, fatigue, and muscle cramps. Hospitals use saline solution
in IV’s to balance a person’s body when fighting illness and to prevent mineral
depletion.
Without the salt of God’s Word, we can become confused and
weak in our soul. We cannot live salt free and be the seasoning the world
needs.
Before Jesus talked about the salt of the earth in Matthew
5:13, His preceding statements are about persecution. Jesus tells us to rejoice
and be glad when men revile us.
Wouldn’t lack of retaliation when persecution comes be a
startling reaction to the persecutor? That would certainly be sprinkling some
salt on an open wound. And salt contains healing properties. A person who is
abusing another usually gets abuse in return, not very often a shaker full of
the salt of God’s righteousness.
If we keep our salt-shaker free of contamination, we can
continue to be the seasoning an unflavored world needs.
What do you think about a salty life? Share your thoughts.
What a wonderful analogy, Barbara. There is much wisdom in your message. We need to keep that balance in our life in regard to salt intake to preserve our physical health, just as we need the appropriate balance of God's Word, prayer, worship, praise, and service to achieve and maintain our spiritual well-being.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Katherine. We do need to keep that balance to remain physically healthy and well in our souls. Keeping our focus on Him through prayer and worship does help us do that. Blessings!
DeleteBarbara, you give us so much to think about in this excellent post about salt. A Christian should flavor their circles of influence. We need the Holy Spirit's guidance to know how and when to share the gospel verbally, and our lives should exemplify His "flavor" daily. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYes, Jeanne, the Holy Spirit is our "salt shaker" and we need His guidance to know how and when to sprinkle the seasoning. Thanks for stopping by. Blessings!
DeleteThank you! I've always enjoyed that passage. Loved your explanations of the benefits, and honestly hadn't really thought about the negatives before. That was an interesting perspective. Appreciate the post, and will have to think on it more.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sylvia, for sharing your thoughts. I'm glad it spoke to you. That verse always speaks to me too and convicts me of how I am using my "seasoning." Blessings!
DeleteWe so need to be salt and light. Terrific work!
ReplyDeleteNancy, thanks for stopping by and sharing. Blessings!
DeleteBarbara, I appreciated your wisdom in this post. You are so right about the need for us to be salt the world and yet avoid avoid too much salt of the world.
ReplyDeleteKathy, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. As we lift each other up in the body of Christ it helps us remember to stay salty and avoid the world's seasoning. Blessings!
Delete