Scripture Reading: Luke 24:13-35
Neither sugar nor salt tastes particularly good by itself. Each is at its best when used to season other things. Love is the same way. Use it to “season” people.
―Vera Nazarian
Jesus said, “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, NIV).
If you are like me, perhaps you think that the primary use for salt is in food preparation, or as a seasoning for food.
According to salt experts, however, food preparation and seasoning accounts for only 6 percent of salt usage. In fact, salt can be used in more than 14,000 different ways. These applications can be sorted into five major categories: Water conditioning, food grade salt, agriculture, highway deicing and industrial chemicals. Salt is used in the making of products as varied as plastic, paper, glass, polyester, rubber and fertilizers. It is used in household bleach, soaps, detergents and dyes.
I read recently of another use for salt. In Jordan, a country that borders Israel in the Middle East, salt is sometimes used to help the cooking process. In rural Jordan, the Jordanians put salt on fire to increase the temperature of the rocks for baking bread. When the salt they use for this purpose is no longer effective, it’s taken away and thrown onto the path, just as Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth. What I really like is that this metaphor leaves a lot of space for us to all have different “uses,” functions and purposes. Some salt is used as seasoning. Salt is sometimes used as a preservative. Salt can also be used to thaw ice. Salt can also be used to make water potable.
As Christians, we do not all look alike, nor do we have the same function. We have our own ministries and things we do well, just like salt!
So, let’s be salty Christians this week! Let’s be the salt of the earth! Let’s be the person Jesus wants us to be, and bring glory to God!
—Timothy Merrill
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, keep me from getting in the way of the blessing you have for others. Instead, help me to be the seasoning and love to make their blessing even better! In your name. Amen.
