Salty in a Good Way

In the Roman culture, salt was extremely valuable. It was so valuable, in fact, that salt was a form of payment—hence the expression, “He’s not worth his salt.”

Jesus said, “Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!” (Luke 14:34–35 NLT).

Jesus was saying that you’re valuable, and your life makes a difference. On the other hand, what good is salt that isn’t salty? It’s like Christians who aren’t making an impact on their culture.

Obviously, salt makes a difference. A little pinch of salt in something can help enhance its flavor. Among other things, salt stimulates thirst. When you’re eating popcorn during a movie, for instance, you realize that you’re really thirsty.

In the same way, when you’re living a godly life, you should stimulate in others a thirst for Jesus Christ. People should be able to look at your life as a believer and know what you stand for and what your convictions are. It also should cause them to want what you have.

So when Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth, He was saying that our lives should make a difference wherever we are.

Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, “Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This ‘letter’ is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:3 NLT).

We are the only Bible that some people ever will read. I hope that we’re pointing them to Jesus.