You Are Salt

“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” (Matthew 5:13).

Right after the Sermon on the Mount/the Beatitudes, Jesus tells us that if we live out the Beatitudes, if we live as Christ’s disciples who live out his kingdom vision, we are salt.

In the next several days we will be looking at what Jesus meant by that. What does it mean to be the salt of the earth?

Today, we will look at the most common uses of salt to see how we are to function in the world today.

Salt has multiple uses.

• Flavor enhancer – salt enhances the natural flavor of foods. You don’t believe me? Try eating your favorite dish without any salt. It is amazing how salt is able to bring out and enhance the flavors already in the food.
  
  In the same way, Christians who live out kingdom values bring out the best in the people and the environment around them.
  
• Preserver – not only does salt enhance the flavor in foods, salt helps to preserve foods. Long before refrigeration, people used salt to preserve meats from rotting and decay.
  
  Christians who live out kingdom values preserve what is true, honorable, loving, and right so that our world doesn’t rot and decay.
  
• De-icer – salt is used to melt ice. Every time it snows city maintenance trucks are out laying down salt and dirt to melt the ice on the streets.
  
  Christians who live out kingdom values are used by God to melt the cold hearts of men and women to soften and awaken them to the reality of a loving God.
  
• Thirst inducer – you know why bars give out free popcorn and nuts? Because they are salty. And salt causes people to be thirsty. Bars give out free popcorn and nuts because they want customers to buy more drinks.
  
  Christians who live out kingdom values cause people to thirst after eternal things; to thirst after God.
  
• Disinfector – salt can be used to treat and disinfect wounds.
  
  Christians who live out kingdom values bring healing to the world around them.

Jesus tells his followers, you are salt.

You get it? Those who live out kingdom values enhance, preserve, melt, causes thirst, and heals.

Be salty today.