Life in Grace

by Lara Cook, North Side Baptist Church

Salt and light

You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light ww-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16 MSG

These are Jesus’ words from The Sermon on the Mount - The Message translation. He lays it out very clearly for Christians: our purpose is to be salt and light to a dark world.

Why salt and light and how can we do this?

Let’s Talk About SaltSalt changes things. Salt adds lots of flavor to our food. Salt also heals wounds, cleanses bacteria, preserves, and can even get rid of stains. In Jesus’ time, salt was used to preserve food because they didn’t have refrigeration. Salt was rubbed into meat and fish to keep it from spoiling before it could be eaten. Jesus wants us to be salt to preserve the world or stop it from going bad as much as we can. Christians can be salt to the world by influencing the world for good, the way salt enhances the flavor of food.

We should be a positive influence, ministers of Christ to a broken and sick world by enhancing and communicating God’s goodness.

Let’s Talk About Light –Light dispels the darkness, the dark shadows, the pitch black of night. Light illuminates, exposes, and shows the way. Light helps us find things.

As Christians, Jesus says we are the light and we are to shine His light to the rest of the world, showing the way to Him. We are not to hide away from the world. We are not to hide our faith or neglect to reflect Jesus. Just as light penetrates darkness, we are to penetrate the darkness of this world and lead them to hope.

Jesus didn’t say go find salt and go find light. He said we ARE the salt and light. We are to be separate from the world, while we make an impact, and penetrate the world, just as salt and light penetrate. If we blend too well with the world, we lose our saltiness, our witness becomes tainted, and non-believers will not listen to us if we live the same as they do.

This broken world needs hope. As Christians, being salt and light will happen naturally out of a life of obedience to Him. Go and be salt and light to the world. Influence by illuminating and preserving. Love people and care for them and in doing so God’s light will shine through you, and they will know the flavor of God’s love that is better than anything they have ever known.