Are You Salty Enough?
Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t just zap us up to heaven when we trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior? Why does He leave us here? There have certainly been some times when I wished I could just poof to Glory and not be faced with the trials and tribulations of life on earth.
In Matthew 5:13, Jesus explains that we are left here to be “salt and light” of the earth. To truly understand what Jesus is asking us, we must place ourselves in the time period when Jesus spoke this. In today’s age, salt is quite commonplace, used in a variety of products. We all have it in our pantries – some of us may even have specialty salts!
However, in Jesus’ day, salt was a precious commodity, as it was the primary method of preserving food since there was no refrigeration, and, therefore, extremely valuable. In fact, Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt, which coincidently is where we get our word “salary.” Salt was also used then, as now, as a flavor enhancer.
So, what does it mean when Jesus called us to be “salt of the earth?” It means we are called to help preserve the world from the evil that is inherent and all around us because of the corruption of sin.
“All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good,
not even one.” Psalm 14:3
“So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8:8
Just as salt seasons and enhances the flavor in our food, Christians are called to live our lives in a way that “enhances” the flavor of life in this world. Christians, through the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of us, should influence the world around us in a positive way. We should stand out as being different from others in our culture. We are to be ambassadors and representatives for Christ, reflecting His love to others through us.
“But love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return;
and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.” Luke 6:35
The Bible is clear that destruction is coming. Just spend a little time reading Revelation, and you’ll see that God will not let humankind’s sinfulness go unpunished. (Luckily, those of us who follow Christ will be raptured away before the worst of His judgements befall the earth!) The entire world will be destroyed for God to restore the earth to His original design in the New Heaven and New Earth.
God has left us here to prolong the coming destruction so that as many souls as possible may come to saving faith in Jesus before it is too late. We are to push back the darkness that is engulfing the world, standing as the “light on the hill,” beckoning those around us to Jesus, the Light of the World.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:14-16
So, how “salty” are you? Are you fulfilling your purpose on earth as a preservative against evil, while reflecting the light of Christ? Here are three questions to ask yourself to determine whether you can improve.
1. Do you stand against evil?
The Bible is clear that as we approach the End Times, people will hate what is good and love what is evil.
“And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil.” John 3:19.
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power.”
2 Timothy 3:1-5
We are certainly seeing this in our culture today, and it can be easy to become desensitized to tolerance of evil. Are you allowing the current of culture to drift you off course or are you staying focused on God’s standards provided to us in Scripture? Are you actively combating the encroaching darkness in your home, school, workplace, community – even in your church and family?
2. Do you actively invite others into relationship with Christ?
The only antidote for darkness is perfect Light. We have the answer to the world’s problems, but we are hesitant to share it. We are like Noah, facing an impending and devasting catastrophe. We have the Ark (salvation in Jesus). Our job is to get as many people on the Ark as we can before it’s too late. Who in your life can you begin actively praying for their salvation and working towards sharing the Gospel with them? If your truly love them and care about them, why would you not want to tell them about the Ark you have found to save them?
3. Is your focus on Heaven?
It’s said our brain process 70,000 thoughts each day. How many of them focus on things of eternal value? One, two, ten? I often find myself mired down in the mundane concerns of temporal life, when I ought to be living for Heaven. Nothing on this earth matters more than fulfilling our calling to share the Gospel and showing as many individuals the hope of salvation as possible. It’s literally life and death. Focusing on Heaven gives us the urgency we need to make Kingdom impact now during our short time on earth, and while there is still time to help others gain their salvation.
I hope you’ll join me this week in seeking the Lord’s guiding in where we can serve as His salt and light. Maybe God wants to utilize you this week as His instrument to change someone’s eternity! Are you going to say yes or no to God this week?
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