Are You Salty?

 

 

I love salt!

My wife claims that she adds it when she cooks, but I think her fingers are crossed. I always need to add a bit more. She says it’s bad for my heart but, thank the Lord, I don’t have any issues.

I don’t know about you, but I love salt on beef, chicken, potatoes, and vegetables. Oh, and those crispy, oily, salty snacks are my favorite—you know the ones.

Wikipedia states that salt was a contributing factor to the success of civilization. It preserved food and enabled ancient man to be nourished regardless of the time of the year. It made food taste better. Salt is good!

In the Old Testament, we learn that salt was valued. It was to be included in meat sacrifices at the temples to offer the very best to God. Matthew Henry’s commentary on Matthew 5 stated if sinful man, corrupt and putrid flesh that he is, is being offered to God, he needs to be salted as well.

Jesus mentioned salt, and I tried to convince my wife that he wanted us to eat salt. She didn’t buy it.

In Mt 5:13, He said, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”

The NLT Study Bible footnotes say the Disciples, being like salt, were to “preserve” the Gospel by ensuring its constant presentation to all nations. Likewise, Disciples were to live lives “flavored” by the salt of Jesus’ Grace and peace. Everyone they met should savor the aroma of Jesus’ presence on them. These footnotes ended with, “If Christians make no effort to affect the world around them, they are of little value to God. If we are too much like the world, we are useless.”

Answering Jesus’ command to be as salt, we are to preserve the Gospel. We are to flavor our lives, like salt flavors food, so people can “taste” the Grace and Love of Jesus through us.

What can you do today to offer the Gospel to those in need? How will you produce the fragrance of Jesus’ Grace and peace to those you encounter?

 

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