Day One Matthew 5:13
“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.” – Matthew 5:13 (NLT)
Learn From the Word
Jesus called His disciples the salt of the earth. A quick study of the science of salt shows us that salt, without any additives, will never expire or go bad. This pure sodium-chloride mineral compound is very stable. However, the salt in the Dead Sea, where Jesus’ listeners would have lived, was often contaminated with minerals that made it ineffective for its two main purposes: a flavor enhancer and a preservative. Any additives to sodium chloride or exposure to moisture gradually degrade the bond over time. In Jesus’ day, this useless salt was used as we use gravel today – for paths and roads.
Put It Into Practice
What contaminants may be causing you as Jesus’ disciple to lose your ability to flavor and preserve His kingdom on earth? Take a little time now to think through your daily life and examine what kinds of things may be slowly sapping you of your saltiness. Write them out. What do you read, watch, and listen to? How and with whom do you spend your time? Ask God if there are things you need to limit, remove, or change in order to stay salty for His kingdom, and commit to making that change. Living in this world will naturally expose us to elements that have the potential to weaken our effectiveness as disciples, but through the power of the Holy Spirit in us, we also have the power to not let them in. Share with someone what it is that God has led you to put into practice.
For Families with Kids at Home
Ask your kids if they’ve ever eaten a food when an ingredient was missing – popcorn without butter, fries without salt, or mac and cheese without the cheese. If not, have them imagine how those things would taste. Not nearly as good as if the meal had all the necessary ingredients! Jesus calls us to be “salt,” a very necessary ingredient to many meals. When we have a relationship with Jesus, He “spices up” our relationships with other people and makes our relationships more complete!