SALT & LIGHT

[Mat 5:13-14 KJV]  Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

  Salt and light: these are two things that we would not normally use together in a sentence.  They seem like things that are not really related to each other, but in the book of Matthew, Jesus refers to believers as SALT and LIGHT.  So what is the purpose of salt and light?  If we look closely, we will notice that the function of these two is quite similar.  Salt is a preservative, and it makes food that is not flavorful to our flesh more desirable.  But the only way for salt to work is for it to penetrate the item it is applied to.  It must also remain pure in order to have the desired effect.  Similarly, light works by penetrating into darkness.  If a light is filtered or dim, the effect on darkness is diminished.

  As Christians, we have a responsibility to penetrate the world and the darkness in it by telling others about the gospel; the good news of the Grace that has been given to us by Jesus!  But this becomes difficult if our Christian walk is polluted or if our light is diminished.  As believers, we must begin to depend on the Grace of God and the Power of the Holy Spirit to help us live lives that are an example to those we encounter on a daily basis.  We are called to BE a witness through our lifestyle, and not just our words (or our “profession” to be a Christian).  This doesn’t mean that we will be perfect; only Jesus is perfect.  But as believers, we must remember that Jesus, through His Holy Spirit, lives in us.  That means our spirit is perfect!  And if we let Jesus shine through us; if we let the Holy Spirit minister to others through us, we can effectively penetrate this world and bring others to Christ! 

  So how do we accomplish this task?  We must get our focus off of our own needs and circumstances only.  Our focus must be God’s agenda, not our own.  Matthew 6:33 [KJV] says, “ But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”  We don’t have to worry about or focus our needs.  God is telling us that if we focus on His Kingdom, His plan, and His agenda, everything we need will be added on to us.

  So today, let’s let our focus be on what we can do to be salt and light in the darkness of the world around us.  If there is enough light shining, we will be a city that cannot be hid.  And the world will not be able to resist it!