How Low Will You Go

Day 2 - Salt

“You are the salt of the earth.” Matthew 5:13

Jesus said that his followers were the salt of the earth. Salt has a lot of positive qualities, but which one was Jesus referring to when he likened us to salt? It is pretty clear when you read the next verse. “If the salt loses its flavor it is good for nothing.” Jesus obviously wants us to add flavor to people’s lives by giving them a taste of His love. But, if we lose our flavor, we are good for nothing. This is similar to Paul’s thought in 1 Corinthians 13, “If I have not love, I am nothing.”

The interesting thing is that technically salt cannot lose its flavor. It would have to be broken down molecularly into sodium and chlorine.

So what did Jesus mean? Well, there are a couple of ways that the flavor of salt can be diminished. One way is to keep the salt out of circulation. If the salt stays in the saltshaker and never gets sprinkled onto your dinner, it is essentially flavorless. If we are the salt, then I guess you could say that the church is like a saltshaker. If we never get out of the saltshaker and into the world, then you could say that we have lost our flavor and become good for nothing. You see, salt doesn’t do any good unless it gets out of the saltshaker and onto some food. In a similar way, Christians don’t do any good unless they get out of the church and into the world.

Another way that salt can lose its flavor is to dilute it with something else. If you mix an ounce of salt into a pound of sand, it is going to lose its flavor. In the same way, if you mix an ounce of Christianity with a pound of our worldly culture in your life, you will lose your flavor. You’ll taste more like the world than like Jesus.

So what is the application for us today? Start by giving others a taste of Jesus’ love. Then, get out of the saltshaker and get into the world. Don’t spend all your time with other Christians going to church; get involved in your family and friends lives. Finally, don’t dilute yourself with the culture. Keep your heart and mind pure and full of God’s Word.

Be salt and give people a taste of Jesus’ love.

Challenge: It’s time to get out of the saltshaker this week and spend time with people who are not Christians. Commit to spend some personal time this week (coffee, lunch, or an activity) with at least one non-Christian friend.

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