Devotion of the Week "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 by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill 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. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:13-16, NIV).
April 25, 2004
By: Jim Savage, Pastor
Whitley City UMC
Jesus tells us that we as His followers are suppose to be salt of the earth and light in the darkness. What would this look like? Salt transforms the physical properties that it comes into contact with. It brings out the goodness in food and was used for preserving meats from spoiling. Salt is essential for life and it has certain healing properties.
I believe that Jesus knew this when he told us His followers that we are to be salt. And what about light?
Just as a flashlight illumines a pathway, or a lighthouse guides and warns the ship, or a night light gives security to a sleeping child, we are to be light in a very dark world. But what does this look like?
There seems to be darkness every where we look in our society, people living in fear and in constant danger of shipwrecked lives. How important it is that we have been called to be beacons of light, showing love and compassion to those around us, to care for them, and to be purposeful about our being a light unto our world.
The church has throughout history has made mistakes, yes. But, there have been great times that we have shined the light of Christ and been the salt that preserved life. The church has taken on battles of slavery, equality of gender and equal access of education. The church was there ensure the right to vote for all members of society, and has been the champion for the rights of children, the poor, the aged, and the lost in our society.
What does it mean to be salt and light? It means that we are to be the persons that Christ can use in our society. Christ transforms life, but he does it through the church. He does this through individual Christians who are dedicated to seeing society transformed into something that will glorify God.
Although I am a pastor, I believe for my life the greatest call wasn't to be a pastor, but to be a Christian in world that needs to know the love of Christ. We are called to let our light so shine before all people that God is glorified. What would this world look like if we took that challenge, all of us, being lights and salt? Well, I believe that we would begin to see our society changed, that the communities we live in would be a place that honors the Father who is in heaven. Now, wouldn't that be a great place to be?
May God bless you this day! And may you know His peace. Amen.
