SALT

It’s common, cheap and found on lots of dinner tables. Historically it has caused wars, determined global trade routes and paid the salaries of soldiers. Today it is mainly used as a preservative and as seasoning. What is it? Salt!

Jesus, who often used ordinary, everyday things to teach deep truths, talked about salt when He was teaching His disciples how they were to live as people of His kingdom. He said, “You are the salt of the earth” (MATTHEW 5:13).

So how are we to be like salt? We can preserve (look after and protect) the people around us. And we can stand out in this world like seasoning does on our food. As we live for Jesus, we show a completely different (and attractive) way of living to our school, friends and family.

Salt that’s put away on a shelf is not doing anyone any good. In a similar way, unless we are actively at work sharing the love, welcome and forgiveness of Jesus, we’re not being the salt this world needs. After all, the best place for salt is in the ‘mix’ of the lives around us.

It can be easy to complain when things go wrong, moan when our friends let us down and point out when others mess up. But salt doesn’t work from a distance; salt gets involved and brings a completely different flavour to these situations—the flavour of God’s love.

Thinking it over . . .

Father, when I am tempted to hang back or just make comments at a distance, help me to step forward to show Jesus’ love in the situations I find myself in.