Matthew 5:13
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his flavor, by what shall it be salted? It is henceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and trodden under the foot of men.
What are the Beatitudes documented by the disciple Matthew in Chapter 5? The Bing.com dictionary has the best categorization I have ever read. It defines them as a statement of those blessed, the eight groups of people who will receive blessing in heaven. Despite its clear and concise picture, it misses one key element. The blessing for us will be received in heaven, true, but the characteristic undiscovered is the fact that the blessing is delivered to others through us here on earth. If the focus is on what is in it for us, then the object is missed and the operation is futile. If the determination is to allow God to work wonderfully and selflessly through us to glorify Him, the work can be immeasurably amazing. From a purely technical standpoint, salt is the chemical compound sodium chloride. Historically and typically used (70% so) as a source of chlorine, but it is probably best known as a preservative and flavoring for food. It is can also be used as a water softener, ice melt, aid in healing wounds, and stabilizing soil for construction. Salt is a pretty impressive little crystal. To sum up, salt preserves, flavors, stabilizes aides softens and purifies. As Christians Christ calls us to preserve and spread His gospel in order to feed His people. We are to stabilize our lives through obedience to God which in turn brings peace and strength to those around us. We aid those around us through the love and mercy of Christ. We soften the spirits and hearts of others through compassionate support inspired by God's grace and kindness. We live a life of integrity, daily seeking God to purify our thoughts, intentions, and actions. God provides the means to meet all these facets if we are available and willing to accept His moving on His terms. So how does salt lose its savor? Avoiding any further scientific analysis and holding fast to biblical interpretation, we as God's salt, lose our flavor when our perspective shifts from God's desires to our needs and wants. Salt is rendered neutral when selfishness is applied. When salt loses its effectiveness it becomes meaningless, bitter and biting, with no purpose other than being cast off and trodden under foot like dirt. Corrupted salt does not become tasteless it becomes repulsive and inedible. Those around us know when sincerity and integrity are in place. We may live under the delusion that we can fool some of the people some of the time, but God can not be deceived. When we step of His path, God will strip our usefulness away. He will expose us as frauds if we become contaminated salt. It is the only way to reveal our error and lead us back to the narrow way. David was the greatest example of supernatural salt. He was chosen by God, to bring life back to His decaying nation. God gave David a spirtual potency unmatched, as a shepherd, servant, and king. Despite all the blessings and deliverance God provided David, he degraded his salt and paid a heavy price. His children became enemies and succumbed to untimely deaths. Were these tragic events a punishment for his disobedience? Yes, but not in the way we perceive punishment. These events were not the result of God slapping David down with His hand, but the effects of what happens when God removes His hand from our lives. God allowed the natural consequence of David's actions to be unrestrained. David experienced the potency of his own sin thanks to the lack of potency in his obedience. The saying some people's trash is another's treasure applies. God allowed David's treasure to become trash. This was a necessary action in order for David to remember where his treasures came from. It is by God's love alone that he came by them. Many times we experience bitterness, emptiness, and absence as a direct result of our salt running out. We were saved for one purpose, to glorify God and serve His purposes. We are the salt that brings a supernatural flavor to a dead and decaying world riddled with sin. The savor in a tasteless society drained of all delicacy by its daily submission to evil. We are an influence to a culture that has accepted rotting meat instead of daily bread. It is an awesome responsibility, no doubt, but one accomplished by God's wisdom and strength. If we submit to God we will succeed in His purposes. If we resist we miss out on an intimate and powerful relationship with the author of life. How is your walk with God? Are you salt and light in a world of tasteless darkness or are you trampled by your own selfishness, unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, and sin? Have you lost your supernatural flavor or become spoiled by a lack of integrity? The wonderous thing about our relationship with our Lord is that He is always waiting to restore us and make us useful. Everything He does has a purpose and that purpose is to mold us into the men and women He desires us to be. Seek Him and He will always be found. You can be the salt that flavors the world around you.
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