The other night I made rice and it looked good. When I tasted it I realized I had not added any salt and it was not good. It looked the same but tasted bad. I added the salt and, although the rice still looked the same, it was much better! The same thing can happen when an unbeliever sees the lives of believers as no different from their own.
If people can see no real difference in our lives as Christians - other than going to church on Sunday - then the Christian faith is ineffective. Jesus sees Christians as "the salt of the earth."
Matthew 5: 13-16, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." The salt represents godly character.
Salt is detrimental for our bodies. It regulates the water content in our bodies. Jesus used salt to describe how Christians are needed to bring balance and hope to an otherwise dying world. He asked, "What good is salt if it has lost its flavor?" If a Christian has lost their peace and joy, then what's the difference between their old life and their new life in Christ?
Salt was the most common means of preserving meat and perishable foods before refrigeration. Salt slowed down the process of spoiling. Having a godly character helps slow down the corrosive effects of sin and the ways of the world helping us to point others to Jesus. Just as salt adds flavor and makes food taste better, the presence of a believer should add zeal and joy to their surroundings. Salt adds value to the meal just as Jesus adds value to our lives. Christ like character can add flavor to our witness. Salt causes us to be thirsty. When unbelievers see how we handle suffering with peace, endurance and hope they will thirst to know how we do it. By us being the salt of the world, we can tell them how we rely on God and His sufficiency. This could lead them to salvation.
Salt purifies. Mark 9: 50, "Jesus said, 'Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.'" We know the ocean is full of salt but the only way to extract it is through the process of boiling the water to retain the salt. I don't like going through the fiery trials of life but that is what it takes to "get more salt" in our life. This boiling process will either prove or disprove the amount of salt contained in a substance. The fiery trials of life will either prove or disprove how flavored our lives are by God. These trials will show us how much faith we have. Our faith will show us how faithful Jesus is! If we realize we did not have much faith then we can be pushed into a deeper relationship with God because He remains faithful. We cannot always control the trials in our life but we can be the keeper of our salt.
We are also the light of the world. Salt and light balance each other. Salt is hidden; you don’t see it at all. It just melts away into whatever it flavors or preserves. Salt works secretly to preserve from the inside. But light shines on the outside, and is visible. Being the light of the world is doing God's good works. As a Christian, God turned on our light. Our heart and attitudes began to change the way we relate to people, care for people and help people. We found ourselves wanting to do what God wants us to do. Then we will naturally have a life of good works testifying to the Lord’s love. You know that there is no darkness in Light and there is no Light in darkness. The presence of light in darkness is something that is unmistakable.
Comments