Day 8: February 4

Matthew 5:13-20

SCRIPTURE
“YOU ARE the salt of the EARTH”, “YOU ARE the light of the WORLD”

OBSERVATION
Jesus uses a lot of word pictures, analogies, metaphors…. It’s important to stop and figure out the meaning. He might be talking about an ordinary item but the message about the item has a deeper, often challenging meaning.

This passage is a challenge. Salt is used to preserve and flavor food. Light is used to dispel darkness, to allow us to see. Both of these items are necessary for life to exist.

Our lives are blessed that we are preserved by His Holy Spirit that dwells in us. His Spirit empowers us to live lives different from the way of this sinful world. We also are blessed because we walk in the light of His Truth! We have seen The Light! Not by anything we have done but by His Mercy (Titus 3:5)

As Christians, Jesus is challenging us to not allow our salt (witness) to become ineffective (‘to lose it’s saltiness’). And to not hide our light (again, witness).

APPLICATION
We need to be aware of the answer we possess for the world and to live our lives so those we interact with will see something different about us.

We are to be in the world but not of it (John 17:14-15, Romans 12:1-2). In this passage from Matthew, Jesus challenges us to share the salt and light we possess. The world is decaying and walks in darkness because of sin. We have what the world needs!

The theologian John Stott has a good observation regarding salt and light- “We should not ask, ‘What is wrong with the world?’ for that diagnosis has already been given. Rather, we should ask, ‘What happened to the salt and light?'”

The diagnosis is sin. The answer is the salt and light we possess. Let’s accept Jesus’ challenge and share it!

A resource I find very helpful is the website gotquestions.org- there is a great article there on what it means to be salt and light. They also have a YouTube channel- Got Questions Ministries.

PRAYER
Lord, you are so good. Thank you for your Mercy and Grace that are so evident in my life. I am not who I used to be because of your Goodness. I walk in Your light and in fellowship with You. Help me to be in tune with your Holy Spirit daily to bring hope and salvation to those around me by being salt and light. To spread the news of your Goodness! You love the world. Help me to be mindful that I am a conduit of that love through living a life that points to you. Amen!