SALT AND LIGHT
MATTHEW 5: 13–16
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.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
As sons and daughters of God, we are the salt and light of this world.
But what do salt and light do?
The salt makes the food tastier, without salt, the food could taste plain and bland. Remember that nobody enjoys tasteless food unless your doctor does not allow you because you have diabetes.
As the scripture says, if the salt lost its saltiness then it became worthless. People will throw it away and trample it on the ground because it doesn’t serve its purpose — to give food a taste.
How can we become the valuable salt of this world?
We should make our life meaningful — not to the standard of this world of what a meaningful life is. A meaningful life in God is you are able to serve the purpose God created you to do. And let the people around you witness this kind of life of yours, and God must be glorified, not how good or successful you are but how great God is. It’s not a perfect life but a modest and respectable life where the works of God are visible.
Now, how about…how to become a light of this world?
The light chases away darkness and leads people to the right path. That’s our job. However, we can’t bring light if we are also in darkness. So, brethren, make up your mind which side you truly are. You can’t be in the light while you are friends with darkness. You can’t be a middleman — there’s no such thing.
If you want to be a light, stand on God’s side. He is the light and the one who gives light. As his sons and daughters, we only reflect the light God pouring upon us. And it also means darkness will be your enemy. God’s enemy is our enemy, and that’s the sin to which darkness gave birth to.
But how exactly can we become the light?
Be a blessing to the people around you. And when you feel they’re lost and don’t know what to do, bring them closer to God. Let them know God, and make them understand there’s hope in Him. Share with them the gospel, the unconditional love of God. The word of God is the light and gives people wisdom and understanding on how to live — knowing God, loving God, and knowing he loves us.
According to the scripture, the light cannot be hidden, “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ”
So don’t be afraid to glow and shine. Every time you speak, speak with truth — the word of God. And let the people see the goodness in you.
Being the salt and light of this world seems to be heavy responsibility and an intimidating task. I will not sugarcoat it and make it sound sweet and easy. The truth is, it’s hard.
But for you to make it all through, you have to have this mindset — you are God’s instrument and mouthpiece. God will be the one who will move, not you. God will be the one who will design the plan, not you. Sometimes, we make this mistake — we are working and moving on our own without God. The intention is good but the wrong part is we created this system, we created this plan and designed it on our own, but did we ask God, “Lord, is it your plan and not mine? Is this what you want to do?”
Once we move without God, even though our intention is in line with his Great Commission, everything becomes so hard and difficult.
Let God freely move. Let God do what he wants. And Let God use you as His instrument to make his plan happen.
