SWORD OF THE SPIRIT                                                                                               1040

“Worth Your Salt”

“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. (Matthew 5:13)

Salt is a miracle of God’s creation. Two lethal chemical elements, when combined in a compound, become something, that in proper proportion, our bodies need to remain healthy. During the years of Jesus’ ministry salt was a highly valued commodity to not only season bland food but also to preserve it. Today we use the phrase ‘Worth your salt’ to mean that someone’s work is worth their salary or pay. In a sense Jesus is asking us if we are worth our salt when He tells us that we are the salt of the earth.

Are we as Christians in this world a seasoning, preserving influence? Are we worth our salt?

Dr. Henry Blackaby stated at a Billy Graham Training Center conference a few years ago that the problem with America is the people of God.  He cited statistics that show that there is virtually no difference between the Christian community and the unchurched world with respect to divorce rates, abortions and gambling to name a few of the 152 items surveyed.  The message of the Gospel of Christ is being cancelled by the way the people of Christ live their lives, he said.

Jesus goes on in His Sermon on the Mount to expand the metaphor from salt to light. “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 a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)

How many of us who claim to be Christian live our faith openly?  How many of us are content to blend in with the rest of society and exist incognito with respect to our faith in Christ?  When we are ashamed of Jesus or afraid of being persecuted for our faith in Him then the light of the Christian church has dimmed in its effectiveness at dispelling the darkness in America.  For many people your life example is the first Gospel they will ‘read’. Is your life worth reading?  Is there enough light to read by?

We are about to enter a season of Senate Confirmation hearings for SCOTUS nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh. His life and his life’s work is about to be laid open to the world’s scrutiny. Sadly, the world does not value salty salt and bright light. The world prefers compromised and shadowy truth. Judge Kavanaugh is about to run the gauntlet of hate toward the Truth of Jesus Christ.

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. (John 15:18)

Not many of us could withstand the scrutiny of such confirmation hearings. Let us pray for Judge Kavanaugh and his family to withstand this trial in the power and strength of Jesus.

Let us pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to embolden us to live salty lives. May we boldly let the light of Christ shine in this dark world. May we be worth our salt.