Matthew 5: 13:15

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

As a believer, you are the salt of the earth but you can lose your saltiness and when you do then you are good for nothing except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. A believer who loses their saltiness is one who has no understanding of their identity and assignment. Several properties of salt that were important to the audience that Jesus was speaking to are;

Salt represented purity because it was considered to be one of the most purest things. A believer who has lost their saltiness is one who does not understand the purity that we have in Christ and thus you do not set boundaries and put in measures to ensure you walk in purity.

Salt was also a preservative, it prevented decay. When we lose our saltiness then we will not stand against the moral decay that we see in our communities. As it is with some believers today because we want to be acceptable to the world, we have allowed moral practices that are against the word of God.

Salt adds flavor to the food. Without the God flavor in our lives, we become just like any other person, complaining and miserable. The joy of the Lord is no longer evident in our lives. This means that when we lose our saltiness then we lose influence and instead we become influenced.

When we dim our lights then we allow darkness to reign and destroy the lives of people that God loves. We should shine our lights before men so that they may see our good works but for what purpose? So that they may give glory to our father in heaven. Jesus says in Matthew 6 that if the light in you be darkness, how great will that darkness be?

When lose our saltiness and fail to shine our light because we are hiding it then we are doing God a disservice because we are curtailing the opportunity for men to see and experience the love of God through us and in turn, we are denying God the glory due to him because men will not give it.

Reflections

• Do you enjoy food that is salt less?
• What are some of the ways that you are losing your saltiness?
• When others look at your life, are you radiating the love of God or are you projecting darkness? How?