By Gina Caswell Kelly
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.” Matthew 5:13-15
You may have read these verses before, or heard someone say about another person that he is the salt of the earth. But what does all this actually mean?
Well, what does salt do for food when we are cooking? Salt makes it better. It takes what is good and just adds a little something to it! What about light? That one is easy. We have to have light or we would be stubbing our toes all the time! Light helps us to see.
So, put those both together and think about the Christian life. We must be salt on this earth and we must be light. God did not just save us to put us away on a shelf. He saved us to serve Him, and by serving others we are serving Him. We have to show the world the difference in a life with Him and a life without Him. People should be able to look at your life and know there is something different there. I remember a man talking to my dad one day. He said, “Preacher, I have never heard you preach, but I have watched you live.” Wow! That is the truest example of that about which I am talking. There should be a difference in our lives.
I don’t mean that we should be walking around with a Bible in our hands and always in a posture of prayer. But there should be a difference in how we approach life. When trouble comes your way, do you let it get you down? Or do you turn to God and trust that He has it all under control? When sickness comes, do you wallow around in it, or do you trust that the God who loves you has a plan?
Live your life with a difference! Live your life so that you are that salt sprinkling about making the good better. Live you life like your are a light up on the hill, shining Christ’s light for all those around you.
Life is not always easy. And that is certainly true for Christians, as well. But salt and light make everything better. Be the salt. Be the light. It will make a difference!
