Overcoming the World (continued)
“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)
Over the centuries there have been two uses of salt, to preserve meat and to flavor food. The human body needs salt to survive. Jesus’ comparison of his disciples to salt makes a lot of sense. We are to provide flavor to the lives of people, and we are to preserve them by introducing them to Jesus Christ so that their eternity is spent in heaven with Him. But let me tell you a few things about salt over the centuries.
Salt can be used as a preservative because it kills bacteria. It removes the water from the meat, and the bacteria cannot live without water. That applies to the Christian because we are preserved to live in heaven by the removal of the penalty for sin which Jesus did on the cross. Sin is the bacteria of our lives that has been removed (killed) by the sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
We use salt to flavor food all the time. When we produced Saguaro Potato Chips, we marketed a potato chip without salt for those who needed to cut out or cut down on their use of salt. The product did not sell very well because most people didn’t like potato chips without salt. They were missing much of the flavor. A salt-free diet is known as a bland diet--not much flavor. The Christian life is definitely not bland. It life offers joy and the feeling of satisfaction for completing a task given by God. One big part of the flavor of the Chirstian life is our praise and worship in song to the King of Kings. The biggest flavor of the Christian life is the knowledge that we will live a live of eternal peace and joy when we leave this earthly life. None of us really knows what heaven will be like, but we know that if Jesus “goes to prepare a place for us,” it is going to be great. After all, He already created the universe, and now we have eternity to explore it.
Centuries ago merchants sold one ounce of salt for one ounce of gold. Wars were fought over access to salt flats. In ancient Rome, soldiers were paid with salt. Salt has been valuable for centuries, but by being the “salt of the earth,” we bring a much greater meaning to its value.
So, let’s go be the salt of the earth, bringing flavor and preservation to those we meet. When we do, they will be blessed and thankful for eternity.
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