Today let's look at God's plan for us as Christians. Sure, we all have specific gifts and talents. We have different personalities. We have different contacts and circles of influence. Aside from all of our differences, we have some similarities. God has called us to be salt and light.
Matthew 5:13-16
New Living Translation (NLT)
Teaching about Salt and Light
13 "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
14 "You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
In the region where Jesus lived, salt was mined for seasoning, and was sometimes used as payment for goods and/or services. In those places where salt was mined or gathered, it was sometimes exposed to light and weather. When this was the case, the salt exposed to the elements would lose its "saltiness". When this happened, this salt was worthless for use in seasoning and it lost its trade value as well. As a result, it was thrown out onto footpaths where it was walked on and forgotten.
We add salt to food to bring out flavors that occur naturally. The salt doesn't create the flavor, it enhances it. Jesus compared those who accepted His teachings and identified themselves with His name (Christians) to be like salt, to bring out the goodness in those around them. How do we do that? Praying for others- encouraging others - sometimes even confronting others, but always by examining ourselves and keeping ourselves in right relationship with Him. Like the salt exposed to the elements, we can be exposed or expose ourselves to "elements" in life that can "leach" the character and traits of Christ from us. In order to maintain the "saltiness" of Christ in our lives, we must choose to shelter ourselves, so to speak, from those elements that would draw or leach the character of Christ from us and repeatedly return to the source that "seasons" us.
Jesus also compared us to light. In Bible times, the primary source of light was from oil lamps. The primary purpose of a lamp was to dispell or counteract darkness. This was best done by elevating the lamp so that it could shine further and the light would not be blocked by objects around it. Jesus makes a very simple, but profound statement that I will rephrase as a question. Why in the world would you light a lamp just to cover it up? If the purpose is to give light, why would you conceal it? Jesus challenges us to share the benefit of the "light" in us with others. Go shine a light in a dark closet, attic or basement. Likely you will find things that you had forgotten about and are glad to find. On the other hand, you will also likely find things that you might not really want to see (dust, damage, creepy-crawlies). The same is true in our lives and the lives of those around us. The light of Christ shining out of us may help us recognize things that we can use to improve the quality/character/Christlikeness in our lives and the lives of those around us. It will also expose those things that can hinder our walk/witness or that may trip us or others up in our efforts to be more like Christ.
When it comes right down to it, our job as Christians is to be like Christ. It is more than obvious that the world around us needs "salt" and "light".
