You are the salt of the earth.   Matthew 5:13

     How are we to take that statement of Christ directed to his followers? Is it a challenge, a compliment, or a simple statement of fact? Notice that the words are not given as a command but more, I think, as a description.  You ARE the salt of the earth.

     So, are we flavoring, or preservative, or a simple disinfectant? Is Jesus saying we are the basic, dependable, no frills substance that holds the world together? I suppose we could make an argument for each, but here is one you may not have thought of: When there is a wound, the presence of salt brings pain.

     When we stop to consider that all the world is wounded, injured by the effects of sin, then to the world the followers of Jesus are a pain. We should be a painful reminder of righteousness in the midst of moral failure. We should be the voice of correction in a world that doesn’t want to hear it. We should be a touch that brings purity in a world badly in need of disinfectant. We should be that kind of salt.

You are the light of the world. Matthew 5:14

     Ever been in the depths of a cave? I don’t think I ever knew what darkness was until I was on a cave tour and the guide had all the flashlights turned off leaving us blinded in a darkness that had no end. Then, after a couple of uncomfortable minutes in that total absence of light, the guide lit a candle. It was blinding! It was a blaze too bright to look upon, like a floodlight suddenly brightening a midnight sky. But it was only one candle; it was only bright because of the darkness that surrounded it.

     There is no darkness in this desperate world that the light of Christ can’t chase away. There is no dark corner too removed for the radiance of his love to warm and brighten. You are his light, his candle, his brilliant beacon to a world grasping through the blackness for a hand to hold, a voice to guide them.

     Sometimes we may feel like we are being a pain, a nuisance to a world that would rather not notice their despair, the wounds from their sin. But we are needed and we are called.

     Sometimes we may wonder whether our little light has much purpose, but in a world groping in the pitch black of sin’s stain, we are a dazzling beacon.

     Let the simple, natural qualities of your faith shine through and do their work. Don’t still the Spirit’s voice as he would speak through you. Don’t hide the Lord’s light because the darkness didn’t ask for it. You ARE the SALT of the earth, the LIGHT of the world.