Have you ever had bread without salt? I’m not talking about some sweet bread here. Just imagine you go to your favorite bakery and but some freshly baked bread---that you’ve enjoyed for years---only to realize after you’ve had your first bite that it has no salt at all. I don’t know if this has happened to you already but I can tell you that based on my personal experience it doesn’t taste good.
You may be asking yourself how does this relate to you well come along for the ride and I really do hope that this “bread-talk” will open your “spiritual appetite” for the word of God and that the Lord Himself will minister to your heart as you read.
So when you’ve enjoyed bread baked with salt and after try some without you will realize that the salt-less bread is just not as good and tasty. Some might even go as far as saying that they cannot eat salt-free bread period, it’s just not good.
If you can relate to this example take a moment to picture yourself in that very scene, the look on your face and the taste in your mouth etc. I can see some people going “yuck!” And quite understandably so because one of the thing that gives bread that taste we enjoy so much is the salt that was mixed into the dough.
Now, let’s get a bit personal and answer this question, “How do you see yourself?” You may answer by saying that you use a mirror or that you have your photo taken etc. In truth these are ways in which you can see yourself but today this is not what I want you to focus on but rather I want you to take a good look at your “self”, at your inner being, the one that the others cannot see with their naked eyes, the one that is not defined by looks, height, size, weight, complexion, education, background or job; I want you to focus on the inner being, the real YOU.
Interestingly enough though that person---the inner you---cannot be seen with the naked eye, there is another window that gives a pretty accurate picture of him. Believe it or not but your thinking, behavior, attitude, actions, words etc. paint a very good picture of who we really are. We may try to run away from it but there is no escaping, the things we say, the way we behave or react and generally speaking, the things we do tell a story about us.
We sometimes think of ourselves in a certain way and are even really convinced that’s how we truly are but the story that our life tells can be very different. We may say to ourselves over and over again, “I am a kind person, I am a kind person…” but I can assure you that in order for you to get a true picture you should ask your family members, friends, colleagues and even those that just see you from afar.
I am reminded of this passage of scripture found in Matthew 7:16-18 (King James Version), “16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.”
Ultimately, when we look at the word of God we realize that it is not enough to just think that we are a certain way or a certain type of person. In order for us to get a more accurate picture or ourselves we must carefully observe our actions, reactions, attitudes, words etc.
Am I saying that everything that everyone says about us is always true and accurate or that we are always right/wrong about ourselves? Certainly not but the word of God tells us very clearly that the fruit we produce (i.e. our actions, reactions, attitude, behavior, the words we say etc.) will tells us what kind of tree we are looking at. In the passage that we read previously we find two types of trees, the “good tree” and the “corrupt tree”. Both of which can be recognized by the fruit that they produce.
At this point I would like you to take an honest look at yourself and think of what kind of tree you are based on your fruit (actions etc.) Is your fruit tasty or is it bitter?
Think about the title of this post, “Salt of The Earth” and ask yourself am I the type of person that makes bread tasty or even if you add me it remains flavorless? What do I mean by that? Well ask yourself what impact do you have on the lives of others, do you cause them to “Yum!” or do they go “Yuck!”?
Think about it for a moment then read Matthew 5:13 carefully, “13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”
First of all, I would like you to think about your purpose here on Earth. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and are born again (if you haven’t read here) then God has placed you here to be its salt. You are the one that gives flavor. You are useful, you are needed and you are highly valued by God. You are a bearer of God’s divine “saltiness” you are a living testimony of God’s grace, mercy and love towards mankind. You aren’t just there to live and survive you are here to be salt to the people in your life, to all those around you. You bare a very powerful testimony, you are a son/daughter of the Most High God and as a result when people get to know you they should see Jesus Christ in you. When they hear you talk, when they see your walk they should be exposed to God Himself through you.
Your actions speak volumes as the saying goes and this is true. And it’s not just what you do when you go to church, Bible study, Youth Ministry meetings etc. but it’s what you do all day, every day.
Take some time and think about this seriously because you run the risk of thinking that you are a certain way but as far as God and men are concerned there is no saltiness to you, you have lost your savor and have become tasteless. And I’ll go as far as saying that you may have become the kind of person that no one wants to be around, one that bring no salt to the game, one that causes people to run away.
Now understand that this thinking exercise is between you and God, the One who knows all and sees all. He is able to judge our thoughts and attitudes accurately and will surely guide us if we diligently seek Him.
My encouragement to you my friend is to look deep within and if you realize that you have not been the salt of the earth then turn to God immediately, confess your sin and He will surely forgive you. Then repent from the things that you have been doing that were wrong. Go truthfully to God and allow Him to set you free by His divine power. Then and only then will you be full of salt and will bear fruits that lead to eternal life.
There is a lot more that can be said on this topic but I would like to leave you with these words to meditate on and I implore you to do like the apostle Paul says in Romans 8:3 (King James Version), “3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”
And remember this last thought, God responds favorably to faith and humility.
May God’s minister to you personally and may you truly be salt to the world.
May your life be positively changed forever by the power of God Almighty!
Amen!
Reference #PRW0000009
