Salt of the Earth

Read or Listen: Matthew 5:13

Have you ever eaten hospital food that is salt-free? Or sat down at the table to enjoy a delicious meal, only to discover that someone left the salt out of the potatoes?  Please pass the salt!  🙂  I want my food with salt!

Jesus looked at His disciples one day and said, “You are the salt of the earth.” What did Jesus mean when He made that statement? In other words, Christians are to the world what salt is to food!  People in Bible times didn’t have refrigeration; so they seasoned their meat with salt to keep it from decaying. Jesus sees today’s world as a rotting mass of sin, and He has put Christians into this world to help hold back decay.

Have you ever thought about what society would be like if there were no Christians? The church of Jesus Christ for 2,000 years has been spreading righteousness and holding back sin. Freedom from slavery, educational opportunities, hospitals, orphanages, and care for the underprivileged – all are the fruit of the gospel. The church hasn’t done all it could, but thank God some of the salt has penetrated society to help the needy.

Salt not only holds back decay, it also seasons and makes food more delicious. We Christians are God’s seasoning in the world! We are here to make life more enjoyable for others. Crystals of salt are tiny, but what a difference they make in the taste of an egg. We Christians may not seem very significant, but what a difference we can make in an office, a neighborhood, a classroom…and even in a home where there are few believers.

Let’s live and stand for what is right…and let’s help make life more delicious & enjoyable for others this week! Let’s be salt of the earth for Jesus…standing for righteousness when it comes to moral issues…and living with the winsomeness, love, and joy of Jesus as we interface with others daily!

Prime-Time Discussion:

If salt remains in the salt shaker, does it do anyone any good? Similarly…
can we, as Christians, have an impact while being isolated from the world?

The saltiness of a Christian is the Holy Spirit’s power in our life making us like Jesus. What can cause a Christian to lose his saltiness?

What is the tragic judgment Jesus gave for those who lose their testimony?

Night-Time Prayer:

Fill me each day with Your Holy Spirit’s power, and help me — like Jesus — to take a humble and gentle stand against evil.

devotion by Bob Cook