“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men.” Matthew 6:13 HCSB
When I visited the Dead Sea I used an old water bottle to collect some of the water. I brought the water from the Dead Sea home and it sits on a shelf in my office. Many years have passed and the water is still crystal clear and salt particles have formed in the bottom of the bottle. The Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea, but there are no outlets for the water of the Dead Sea. Its water is so salt-laden that warnings are posted for people who swim in the Dead Sea not to drink any of it because it can be deadly. Nothing grows or lives in the Dead Sea because of the heavy salt content – hence its name, the Dead Sea.
Salt was a valuable commodity and was used as a preservative for meats in Jesus’ time since there was no refrigeration. It was also used to flavor foods as it is today. Jesus used salt as an illustration to describe His disciples. They were to be like salt. They were valuable and to be a preservative for all mankind. They were to bring the Good News (flavor) to the world. If they lost their saltiness they would not be of any value to the kingdom of God.
Challenge: The same is true of today’s disciples of Jesus Christ. We are to be the salt and light of the world. How salty are you? Pray that you will be the salt and light to a world that desperately needs the Good News of Jesus Christ.