“ "You are the salt of the earth..."”
At times it takes deep meditation to come to grips with the power and weight of the words the Lord Jesus spoke. Aware that He spoke only what God the Father commanded and authorized (John 12:49), and that the words Christ spoke are spirit and life (John 6:63), we can be certain that nothing Christ said was loose or merely for the sake of speaking. We would do well to meditate carefully on them. Take, for example, Christ's words to His followers (in our reference text): "You are the salt of the earth..." Hallelujah! Those words certainly bring to mind several truths implied therein. First, the earth (its people and the systems of this world) is in dire need of preservation.
Despite the admirable inventions, the advancements in many earthly things, and the wealth amassed, many are empty inside and wasting their lives away. Put plainly, the things of this earth were never meant to replace or satisfy man's longing to relate intimately with his Creator. Second, the solution to the decay in the systems and fabric of this world rests with "You": true believers in and consistent followers of Christ. Indeed, it is ultimately God the Father who performs the work of preservation, but He wants to do it through our individual lives. He has put us, His sons and daughters, in the spotlight to bring His hope and His healing to those around us. Thus, we cannot afford to be on the sidelines; heaven is counting on us.
Third, to be God's agents of preservation and flavour to others, we ourselves must first be and always remain 'salty' for Christ. It is simply hard to be to others what we are not ourselves. We should not lose our saltiness, which, according to Christ, is a possibility (Mat 5:13), but one we should never entertain. That means talk such as 'I USED TO be prayerful' or 'I used to be passionate for God' must be very foreign to our tongues and experiences. Salt is salt: no passage of time, geographical location, or name it goes by can easily change its composition and intended use. Could you be thinking of escaping some situations that need a spiritual or physical intervention? Meditate again on Christ's words: "You are the salt".
Pst. Emmanuel