"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
I am salt. This little phrase has been going over and over in my mind for the last month or so. Pretty simple, I know, but pretty profound if you stop and think about it long enough.
I decided to go back to Matthew chapter 5 and refresh my memory on what it means to be salt. The first thing that strikes me in this verse is that it says -"You are..." See that? It doesn't say, "You should be" or "You could be" or even "You should try to be". That means I can't just get up every morning and spend time thinking about whether or not I want to be salt that day. I am salt. Whether or not I feel salty is not even part of the conversation.
OK. So I am salt. Now what exactly does salt do? Well I came across several uses or "responsibilities" of salt, if you will:
--Salt is probably the oldest seasoning known to man. It's been around awhile. It just is.
--Salt preserves food. Especially in ancient times, salt kept food from spoiling. Hmm. OK.
--Salt gives flavor to food and also to other spices. Salt brings out the best in what it's added to. I see.
There's another word that keeps rolling around in my head now that I think fits in here - RESPONSIBILITY. If I am salt as Jesus said then I have a responsibility to preserve, give flavor and bring out the best in every situation or circumstance that I become involved in. I don't think these responsibilities will automatically kick in 24/7 just because I'm a Christ follower. Looks like I need to make some decisions ahead of time about what I will and will not do.
1) I will not just speak my mind whenever I "feel" like it because - I AM SALT.
2) I will not cheat when no one is looking because - I AM SALT.
3) I will not get mad and run away when things don't go my way because - I AM SALT.
4) I will not ride the wagon of self-pity, bitterness and unforgiveness around and around until I am the center of my world (and everyone around me has had just about enough) because - I AM SALT.
5) I will not pass up an opportunity to do good because - I AM SALT. (see Heb. 13:16)
6) I will clutch my basket of fruit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control and run quickly to Jesus when I sense my supplies are low because - I AM SALT.
7) I will glory in my weaknesses (2 Cor. 12:9) because I AM SALT.
I think I'm catching on. Don't ask me about pepper. That's a whole different blog!
