Salt and Light

I think that we Christians are sometimes tempted to isolate ourselves. We want to submerge ourselves in a Christian subculture of our own making and not get too involved in the world.

But Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth.” When He made that statement to His disciples so long ago, they understood the significance of what He was saying. It can be lost on us today because we don’t know it what it means.

In those days, salt was considered to be very valuable. In fact, the Romans considered salt more important than the sun itself. Roman soldiers would even be paid with salt.

So when Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth,” He was saying in a sense, “You’re valuable. You’re important. You’re significant. You can make a difference.”

Stop and think about salt. It really can do a lot. A little salt on a bland piece of meat can make all the difference. Have you ever had someone put salt in your water when you weren’t looking? You immediately noticed the change. A little pinch of salt can alter the flavor of something, just as one Christian in a situation can effect change.

Have you ever been in a dark room and someone turned on a flashlight? The light wasn’t hard to find, was it? In the same way, one believer who lets his or her light shine can really make a difference.

God has singled you out to make a difference—a strategic difference.