Matthew 5:13–14 (ESV) —
13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
NOTE: These verses are clearly using salt and light as metaphors. I have never liked the salt metaphor, preferring the light metaphor. The light metaphor emphasizes the need to witness and be a witness to those around us. Our life should be so different that it can't be hidden. It should be a good thing, not something that people turn away from. The salt metaphor is quite different. There are two ways salt is used, one is for taste and the second is for preservation. A relationship with God makes life taste much better. It is a pleasing thing to add salt to our food. But Jesus is more than just a pleasing thing and also much more than an addon to our life. The preservation metaphor suggests that our relationship with God preserves something that is very important. I have watched my society degrade over the last few decades. Faith has become less important. People don't believe something is a lie unless caught, and don't believe in God's commands if their sin is pleasing to them. As a result, the society is crumbling. Our faith in what God commands preserves some of the beauty of life. But when we fail to live like Jesus, everything begins to smell. If we hold to what is true, people will see the difference in our lives and it will be a very good thing.
PONDER:
- Have I bought the lies of the culture over the truth of God's word?
- Is my life a pleasing thing or does it smell like the rest of the world?
PRAYER: Father, help me to preserve the little good that is left in the world. Help me to stand up for rightness, justice, truth, kindness, goodness, patience, and love. Help me to stand up for Jesus.
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