Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 160

June 9;    Matthew 5:13;    5/260(III);    ‘The Salt of the Earth’

Matthew 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 

The Lord Jesus is teaching His disciples in this chapter, that is called the Sermon on the Mount.  He is telling His disciples and us that we are the salt of the earth.  What exactly does the Lord mean by this?  Here are three things that salt, back then, represented.  Salt then as now flavors things.  As Christians, we are to ‘flavor’ this world with Jesus.  When we share the Word of God we are flavoring our speech with Jesus.  When we treat people with the love and kindness of Jesus, we are flavoring our conduct with the Lord.  As we pray for someone, we are flavoring their lives with the life changing effect prayers in Jesus’ Name have.  Salt also was used medicinally to cleanse a wound.  We cleanse literal wounds by faith filled prayers, knowing the Lord Jesus is the Healer.  We cleanse emotional wounds by tenderly praying for others and sharing with them how much they are loved by God the Father and Jesus Christ.  Finally salt preserved.  It prevented spoiling.  The Word of God preserves our lives from the spoiling effects of sin.  We preserve others by treating them with the courtesy and kindness we have received from the Lord Jesus.  As believers, we must make the decision that we will help anyone we can and treat them with the love of God that fills our spirit.  We cannot allow ourselves to lose our flavor.  The Lord Jesus is the only hope this world has. If we do not do what we have been called to do, we can become victims rather than victors.