13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
For an In depth study about this passage, read here
As I studied through this passage I came to ask a few questions:
Why are we salt? What is the purpose of this saltiness?
How am I light? What does light do?
These are basic questions in and of themselves, but the deeper study I have gone through gave me a simple insight, but a profound game changer.
We have Purpose. An obvious purpose.
Here’s a brief summary of the study I came through.
Lesson 10: Salt, Light, And Law
Written by David Anderson
1. “What does being “salty” look like? It looks like the Beatitudes.”
Check out our last post on the Beatitudes Here.
2. “Salt and light are indispensable household commodities.
a. The function of salt is largely negative: it prevents decay.
b. The function of light is positive: it illumines the darkness.
This means that the world decays like rotten fish or meat, but Christians slow the process.
1. Christians are a kind of moral antibiotic.
2. They bring a Moral clarity.
Basically, Jesus has reminded us that we have a purpose and that this purpose is a BIG one! We are here to help with slowing the decaying morality, and to help shed light on the things of darkness.
God hasn’t asked us to completely stop the decay of the world, that task is much too big for us and John makes it clear that the decay will eventually come to a point where Christ has to return. But we are asked to slow the process as much as we can.
How you ask?
That’s a complicated yet simple question. The answer?
By following God into relationships with others.
God will show you exactly what area he needs you to be salt in. Are you here to speak into the lives of hurt children? Are you here to embrace those that feel lonely or forgotten? By loving these people, you can help to stop the process of decay in their lives. You can help them find their purpose in Christ and bring them into the Light that is the Love of Christ.
Being Light works much the same way. Moral clarity doesn’t have to be shoved into peoples faces…it is simply noticed in the way we live, the love we show.
Some people will come to a place where they ask for the light to be shone on the darkness in their lives, but they need to be able to hear you, and a person can’t hear you if their heart is not soft to it.
You ever try to convince a toddler to do stop doing something you don’t want them to do? Impossible right?
You might get them to do it by tricking, distracting or bribing them, but a few minutes later they are right back at it! As they grow, they learn by watching you, modelling how you lived and soon will come to a place where they admire you and ask you how to deal with certain circumstances…they come for the advice, it can’t be shoved at them!
Remember the rich young ruler? He came to Christ to ask for light to be shed on his life and even after hearing the truth, he chose to walk away from it.
Did Jesus run after him and yell a bunch of threats at him about what happens when you don’t follow God, or try to convince him by nagging him over and over again? No.
Did Jesus retract what he said trying to restore the relationship to it’s previous? No.
The young ruler came, ask for advice, Jesus gave a biblical answer, and allowed the man to make his choice.
It’s not easy watching people walk in moral chaos, but if you let God lead you toward the people he has for you, you will be amazed at the work He can do. It might take minutes, days, or even years before you see any return on the invested time, but it is always worth it! The conversation Christ had with the young ruler might not have ended well, but Christ still saw that there was purpose to the situation and did as he knew God would want him to do.
Jesus has given us a very meaningful task that is played out differently in each of our lives. But one thing is clear, we ARE to be salt and light in the world, and we are vital to the slowing of that moral decline!
Are you ready to be salt and light? I might not feel ready, but Jesus needs me to be.
May we continue to grow as God leads us, follow where He wants us to go, and live a life that does the work of salt and light in this world.
Oh and don’t forget this week’s printable!
Spend some time meditating on the relationships in your life. Who are you being salt and light to today?
Salt of the Earth Printable
Praying for Salt and Light in all our lives,