Matthew 5:13 New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
Become the Salt of the Earth
There are many phrases in our everyday language that are derived from the Bible. People use these terms without knowledge of their origin. In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus speaks to us about being the “salt of the earth.” Salt of the earth people are down to earth, and easy to get-a-long with. These salt of the earth people are the real deal; they are not impressed with new cars, or expensive jewelry, nor do they care if you have a bigger home. Salt of the earth people celebrate your blessings and are not jealous of what you’ve gained. Salt of the earth people see with the eyes of reality; they gain wisdom in understanding the big picture of life.
If Jesus called us to be the salt of the earth, what did He mean by this? Jesus gave this message right after He taught the beatitudes. We are to be the salt of the earth because we are all called to preserve mankind. If salt loses its taste it is useless, and so are we if we lose our fire to serve. If you follow the beatitudes you come to the understanding that you matter. Just as salt preserves, we as Christians preserve what is good in this crazy world we live in.
If you want to be used by God, you must be the salt in your workplace, in your home, and wherever the Lord plants you. You will not be accepted with open arms when you give the right advice, or speak the truth to those who are unwilling to listen. God did not call us to be popular; He called us to be holy. We are to touch the lives of others and make a difference in their walk by our living example.
Go the Extra Mile
The closer you draw to God, the better you can hear Him. The more you serve Him, the more He instructs and entrusts matters into your hands. We have to go that extra mile. This means you must work with not only your mind but also with your heart. A perfect example of this is when you have experienced a falling out with someone who is near and dear to you. You, being the spiritual person, must understand that even if it was not your doing, you must take into account that God prepared you to respond in a loving manner. In spite of every part of you believing that you were NOT in the wrong, God tugs at your heart to apologize. You may say, “What do I have to apologize for, I did nothing wrong!” Yes, you did! Keeping this resentment in your spirit is allowing room for the Enemy to slowly creep in and side with the fact that you are right to stay angry with the person who feels offended by your actions. Emotions are genuine; they may want to hold on to their pain, but don’t allow yourself to be dragged down into that state of mind. The gentleness of the Holy Spirit will comfort them through your prayers. The longer you wait to apologize, the more difficult it becomes to resolve. Five simple words suffice: “I am sorry, forgive me.” That’s simple, but yet we stand our ground…for what?
Matthew 5:41 New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
41 Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles.
Read the Writing on the Wall
Sometimes it takes “the writing on the wall” to convince others of their wrong. The writing on the wall was a hand-written message from God in the Book of Daniel to King Baltassar, which read: mene, mene, tekel, peres. The pale faced king knew something was terribly wrong when he witnessed the hand writing on the wall. He was at a loss, and no one could interpret its meaning. The king called for Daniel; being the salt of the earth type of guy, Daniel tells the king the meaning of the words. Mene meant that his days were numbered, tekel meant that he was found unworthy to live or to reign any longer, and peres meant that his kingdom would be divided. King Baltassar was so busy celebrating his wonderful life that he lost sight of his real existence. He failed to learn from the lesson of his father King Nebuchadnezzar and continued to worship false gods. The king was using sacred goblets that his father had plundered from the Holy Temple in Jerusalem for his celebration. God had had enough, and he used the writing on the wall to set the king straight. The king was worshiping the god Bel in Babylon as the supreme deity. Every day his kingdom would spend twelve large measures of flour, sixty vessels of wine, and forty sheep on the god Bel. And every day the king went to adore this god Bel.
Daniel 5:17 New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
17Daniel answered the king: “You may keep your gifts, or give your presents to someone else; but the writing I will read for the king, and tell what it means.
Daniel was the greatest prophet of his time; he already knew the meaning of the message. He didn’t wants any material riches the king offered because he was anointed and served the true God. When you serve the true God, He will supply all of your needs.
Philippians 4:19 New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
19 My God will fully supply whatever you need, in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
People who do not serve God need the writing on the wall to communicate the wrong that they are doing. An arrogant, unapproachable person will never be humbled because he believes he has all the right answers.
You must be sure to check everything out with God before moving on any important decision, especially when it comes to your family or career. We can no longer take things for granted and expect to make the right choices without including God. God has to be the focal point in our lives if we want to attain success. There are two types of success: one gained by man and the other bestowed by God because of our faithfulness.
During this time the Romans paid soldiers with salt. The word salary means salt. Be the salt of the earth and do what is expected of you, but do it in the name of Christ!
