Break Out The Salt Shaker

A few weeks ago I was asked to speak at one of our sister churches. The topic that was given to me was from Matthew 5:13-16. You probably know it you just don't realize it. It's the message that Jesus gave on Salt and Light! I thought to myself, "Man, why do I have to do Salt and Light? That's so cliche'! Nobody wants to even hear it."

Yet, as I was preparing for the message I began to read the scripture in Matthew 5:13 where Jesus says, "You ARE the salt of the earth." That's as far as I got. I read it again. "You ARE the salt of the earth." Notice he didn't say, "you MIGHT be the salt of the earth." He didn't say, "someday you will become the salt of the earth." Jesus told us believers that WE ARE the Salt of the earth.

We are called by Jesus to be Salt. What does that mean? I remember when Amy and I first started dating. She put salt on everything. We would go out on a date to Olive Garden and she would put salt on her bread-sticks. Then we would go to the movies and she would put half the salt shaker on her popcorn. I thought to myself, "Man this girl really likes her salt."

Well, for salt to do any good it must be added to something. It must make contact with the thing that we want to be salty. In my wife's mind that is most kinds of foods. In our spiritual world that is people, specifically those people that do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ. To be salt, we must rub shoulders with those that have no salt.

This verse is so powerful for us. Jesus took the time to tell us what our relationship with the rest of the world should look like. Guess what? It involves us getting out of our shells and rubbing shoulders with the world. I sat at Popeye's today (healthy right?) and as I looked around at all the people in the Popeye's I was reminded by the Spirit to be salt. So, I was very intentional in my conversations. Nothing of significance happened. But I am determined that I am going to be a man of salt. This is a good verse. This is a great verse. This is a verse that can transform our communities and we haven't even gotten to the light bit yet!

All that to say, let's not just say, "Be Salt. Be Light." Let's BE salt and let's BE light in a dark and spiritually bland world. Pray for me as I strive to be saltier and I will pray for you that you will do the same! I have a new respect for Matthew 5:13. It's no longer just some cliche' - it's a verse that I need to hear in my life daily! Till next time, let's keep sharing our story and hey - be careful out there!