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 ESV]
Well, it’s Friday and the fall is about to begin. Are you ready? Next week school begins for most, families’ lives will be tossed into a new schedule, Bible studies and fall activities start to begin, and work continues in the new light of COVID-19. Even during all of this we as believers are called to be the salt of the earth.
Salt. What an amazing mineral and so many applications that correlate directly back to Scripture. Salt is a preserver; it keeps food from going bad as quickly. In the same way we as believers are a preserver of this world helping to keep the evil from taking over, not because of who we are, but because of Who lives in us. The Holy Spirit is the preserver. Satan is being kept at bay until the Holy Spirit within the Church is removed from this earth and then the tribulation will begin.
“And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.” (2 Th 2:6-8 ESV)
Salt is also a flavor enhancer. In small amounts it reduces bitterness and increases sweetness, and in higher amounts it reduces sweetness and increases the savory side of food. Hopefully, we are reducing the bitterness in others’ lives and increasing the sweetness and savory side of life.
Lastly, and my favorite picture, is that salt is a fertilizer. In the time of Christ salt was a major form of fertilizer. Even today most fertilizers can be easily dissolved in water and dispersed on the ground because they are salts. If you have a bag of Epsom salt take a look at its uses. Epsom salt is a known remedy for soothing muscle pain, reducing inflammation, and detoxifying the body. Again, what awesome pictures of what believers should be in this world; but lastly Epsom salt is a fertilizer for your vegetables and roses. If you are a gardener you know fertilizers are added to soil to increase its fertility or ability to grow plants. However, if a fertilizer sits too long without being used it loses its usefulness and must be thrown away, just as Christ shows in this verse.
Christ has sent us into the world to be fertilizers, reduce the bitterness, and help our neighbors and co-workers’ lives and hearts be more palpable and ready for the sowing of the Word of God. Just as in a garden I can’t make my plants and herbs grow, but I can prepare the environment so that they have the best opportunity to thrive. Also, too much fertilizer will actually damage my plants, just as you see in the dead sea (one of the saltiest bodies of water on this earth); neither plants nor animals can survive in its waters. God has dispersed us, each to our own neighborhood, workplaces, and families (aka our mission fields) to be the fertilizers, preservers, and flavor enhancers in the worldly environment around us. So, as we prepare for the semester to come, let’s keep our lives and speech salty for a hurting and confused world.
“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” (Col 4:6 ESV)
Reflection Questions:
- Have you lost your saltiness?
- What is the mission field God has laid out and prepared for you?
- How are practical ways you can be fertilizer and flavor enhancers in your mission field?
Reflection Song:
