- In the Beginning
- The End
- Do You Know Him?
- The Value of Being Salt
- Are You a Light?
- Which Way?
“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.” (Matthew 5:13)
Here Christ lists another of the character traits of one who is in the Kingdom of God. This statement is lifted out of one of the most famous sermons by Jesus Christ, which has been labeled the Sermon on the Mount. This statement of description is a fact; not exhorting them to become salt, but that they are salt already.
Christ uses salt in a metaphorical sense, depicting the properties of salt pointing to these same traits in a Kingdom man. The two main traits of salt are:
- Its preserving quality from corruption;
- Its flavoring quality to enhance the taste.
However, for salt to be useful, it must be salty; that is, it must be strong in these two qualities. If these two qualities are not present, the salt is good for nothing:
“…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.”
So it is with the child of God, you must be salty. You must be first, a Preserver from sin, or corruption, in the areas of:
- Yourself; you must be preserved from sin. You must be kept holy and pure.
- Your home must be preserved from corruptness. One of the greatest problems we have in America is that the people have allowed sin to enter into the home; and sin is leavening the lump. Sin has entered into the home primarily through the social media (the internet, cell phones, I-phones, TV, etc.) and from the parents not making the Word of God the centerpiece of the home.
- Your church must be preserved from corruption.
- Your nation must be preserved from sin, corruption, rottenness.
There are three major things that make up the wall to preserve the person, his home, his church, and even his nation. To be a Preserver:
1) He must be in Compliance to the Word of God
He must be a diligent student to God’s Word. He must study the Word of God:
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
Then he must apply the instruction, and walk as Christ walked:
“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” (1 John 2:4-6)
2) He must not Compromise the Word of God in his walk. The saved man must stand up for truth in his word and deed in every area of his life. The saved man must answer Elijah’s question he asked Israel:
“And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.” (1 Kings 18:21)
He must not let wealth or position, resistance, or fear of persecution cause him to compromise what he knows is truth; or to refrain from standing for truth in word and action.
3) He must Complete his assigned task. That is, he must endure unto the end. He must never turn back, or even halt, in his worship and service to God:
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8)
The second major trait of a Salty Christian is not only to be a preserver, but also he must be that which flavors the situation. He does this by:
1) Bearing the fruit of the Spirit:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
When others see the fruit of the Spirit being borne in a saved man’s life, there is a great witness of the beauty of Christ living in the saved man. It places a great taste in the spirit of the man who bears the fruit of the Spirit and also in those who see this fruit. It encourages both the bearer and those who need to follow the same path.
2) Therefore, it brings assurance, confidence, and liberty to serve God in bearing the fruit of the Spirit. No matter what the bearer of the fruit of the Spirit faces, such as trials and tribulations, and even persecutions for his stand; the sweet witness of the Holy Spirit in his spirit allows him to suffer, even to death, for the Name of Christ.
The question to answer now is, where or who are you, child of God? Are you Salty? If you are, you are preserving yourself, your home, your church, and even your nation. If not, you have lost your savour; and now are “good for nothing.” If you as a child of God are not salt, you are good for nothing; you will be cast out of the opportunity of service; and destruction lies in your path. When rottenness overtakes, it first affects you; then the home, the church, and even the nation is being corrupted. This rottenness (corruption) is so deceiving that great will be the fall of the house in the storm, before you even realize it.
When many start off a new year, they are full of resolutions to change. But what a child of God must resolve, is to be what He has had placed in him, and that is salt and light. If not, he can expect to be useless in God’s service, and he will be replaced. When this happens, it will not matter about your wealth, fame, and position in this world. When this happens, and the house begins to come apart at its seams, great will be its fall; whether it be you personally, your home, your church, or even your nation. Then you will taste the bitter pill of the result of non-compliance, compromise, and no completion to the Word of God.
As the house is falling down, you ask God, “Where did I go wrong?” He will answer and say, “It is very simple, you lost your saltiness; you chose compromise. And this is the result.”
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