You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet” (Matthew 5:13).

There are so many kinds of salt — iodized, sea, pink Himalayan, kosher, black Hawaiian, pickling, and rock, to just name a few. One source says there are over 14,000 uses for salt, but I doubt that I’ve used even a small percentage of them. I have gargled salt water for a sore throat, and of course I use it in cooking. I have not, however, used it to kill poison ivy, remove pinfeathers from a chicken, drip-proofed my candles, or extinguished a grease fire. A box lasts me for a very long time.

Characteristics of Salt

Although salt has many uses, we mainly think of it as a preservative and as a flavor enhancer. These two characteristics may be why Jesus compares us to salt.

Salt has been used as a preservative since ancient times. It not only preserves but also inhibits the growth of bacteria. When considering the spiritual application, the way we live our lives should act as a preservative, slowing the moral and spiritual decay of society. We can live truth as a witness, and we can also speak truth in love. What we cannot do is ignore the decline around us. We must be influencers for good – purifiers – because we are salt to the world.

Salt is also a flavor enhancer. Job asks, “Can flavorless food be eaten without salt?” (Job 6:6, NKJV). A pinch of salt goes along way toward adding flavor to a bland food. And we, as flavor enhancers, can change the “taste” of things in our unsavory world. The Spirit of God give a tasteless life hope, peace, and love. It brings excitement and joy.

Salt Creates Thirst

There is another characteristic of salt. If a food is salty enough, it makes us thirsty. If we really are salt as Jesus said, others will thirst for, long for, what we have. That’s what the Lord wants us to do – create thirst (desire) so that others will find salvation.

Prayer: Lord, I am surrounded by people who need Your Spirit in their lives to bring them hope. Help me to be the salt that will preserve the moral integrity of society and fight the sinful decay that the enemy would love to use to destroy us. Your Spirit operating through Your church can bring life, hope, peace, joy, and so much more to our world. I pray that those around me will thirst for what I’ve found in You and find the flavor that will make their life rich.

Author

Mary enjoys traveling, meeting new people, and spending time with old friends. Although directionally challenged, she would rather take the back roads with their discoveries than the boredom of the interstate.

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