Growing up, my dad always used a lot of pepper. He rarely used salt. I, on the other hand, LOVE salt. I remember being a child of about three and watching my mom salt and pepper something for me to eat. My mouth just watered! Of course, now that I am older, I have to watch my salt intake pretty closely 🙁 . This became much more difficult once I discovered how delicious the combination of salty and sweet can be. Salt enhances sweetness. And it just makes it so much more delicious.
But salt enhances more flavors than sweet. It also “balances out” sour flavors, making them less one dimensional. So, the salt seems to add a level of flavor that keeps the sweetness and sourness from being overpowering. And it also suppresses bitterness. Salt enhances food in other ways as well, but my personal favorite is still the enhancement of salty and sweet 😉 .
Salt is actually a combination of two components: chloride and sodium ions. These two components are necessary for all living creatures. It’s good for us! Typically, however, we (I 🙂 ) just consume too much of it.
And salt is a preservative. Salt is used to preserve meats, cheeses, and other foods. Mankind has been using salt as a preservative since shortly after God created us. The way that salt preserves is by absorbing moisture from bacteria and mold. By absorbing the moisture, they (bacteria and mold) are unable to reproduce and the salt ultimately kills them. Those things that could potentially cause death in us are destroyed by the presence of salt.
The first reference to salt in the scripture is in the book of Leviticus. God asks that the grain offerings that are offered to Him be seasoned with salt. Leviticus 2:13 says, “Season all your grain offerings with salt to remind you of God’s eternal covenant. Never forget to add salt to your grain offerings.” He asks that this salt remind us of His covenant with us.
So, the reason that I began to look at salt was the Bible verse Matthew 5:13. “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” Matthew 5:13.
I wondered what “salt of the earth” meant in this verse.
Well, much like salt, followers of Christ should make ourselves available to be used by God. We should allow ourselves to enhance the flavor of the lives of others. When we are walking with — and like — Christ, we subdue sourness, suppress bitterness, and make sweet sweeter. As followers of Christ, we should add a savory flavor to the lives of those we come in contact with. We should be salty and sweet 🙂 . “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (NLT) Matthew 5:16.
Also like salt, we contain the components necessary for life. We contain the Holy Spirit. “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you–they are full of the Spirit and life.” John 6:63. And the Spirit is life. When we are living life like/for Jesus, the Spirit is seen by others. And they will be drawn to Him and that life. They are drawn to the Spirit within us. And, as salt destroys mold and bacteria (those things that could kill us), Christ destroyed sin (sin that kills eternally). That same Spirit of Christ that destroyed sin and death at the cross lives in us. And others experience that when we are who God calls us to be.
And (as in Leviticus 2:13), God asks that offerings to Him be sprinkled with salt. That salt should be a reminder of His eternal covenant with us. We (as followers of Christ) should be that sprinkling of salt. We should be a reminder to those around us of His covenant with the world. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16. When they see us, they should see Him. We should be that sprinkling reminder of His covenant.
As followers of Christ, we are the salt of the earth. Through us (when we are walking with Him), God enhances other’s lives. He preserves life by defeating sin and death (when those around us come to know Him personally). And we are a reminder of His covenant with the world that whoever believes in Christ and repents of their sin will be saved.
We should enhance other’s lives. We should allow God to use us to draw others to Himself so that He can destroy the sin in their lives and preserve them. And we should be both a salty and sweet reminder of His covenant with mankind.
Be an enhancing, preserving, sweet and salty reminder of God’s love.
Father, thank you for redemption. Thank you for your forgiveness. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your sacrifice. And Father, thank you for allowing us to be used by you to rescue those around us from sin and death. Help us, Holy Spirit, to be an enhancing, preserving, sweet, and salty reminder of God’s love. We pray this in your precious and holy name, Jesus. Amen.
Does your life lack flavor? Are you carrying around the burdens of the guilt and shame of sin? God wants to give you freedom. He desires that your life would be full and filled with joy, peace, and comfort. God wants a personal relationship with you and Jesus loved you so much that He died so that you could have that relationship. All it requires is that you desire that relationship with Him with all your heart and pray a simple prayer of repentance.
Please go to our Life Preserver page (Forgiven-N-Loved.com/Life-Preserver/). We have a prayer outlined on this page. Please pray this prayer (or one similar). That heartfelt prayer of repentance is all it takes to have a personal relationship with God Himself. He loves you so much!
Once you have prayed that prayer, please reach out to me at admin@Forgiven-N-Loved.com and let me know. I’d love to be in prayer with and for you.
Luv Ya!
