The Lord brought to mind the Matthew 5:13 verse from the Sermon on the Mount about salt.
You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
I think it’s easy for us to miss the point here because of the bad reputation salt has gotten because of how it’s being harvested to get it to market quickly… which regrettably is basically killing all it’s good points… which in some ways resembles this scripture! But I digress 😉
GOOD salt (like Celtic Sea Salt) has minerals that your body needs to live and it’s costly to harvest it and to buy it. That’s where the expression “worth their salt” comes from. Salt is life giving and it is used in preservation (e.g. canning). Basically there’s no way to turn cheapo salt into good salt. Once it’s been ruined, it’s ruined (ok, apparently I wasn’t digressing LOL) and it is not just worthless, but harmful.
In the same way, if we are not life giving and filled with the goodness that comes from our deep fellowship with Christ – what good are we? Not only are we not good, but we are harmful because we lead others away from Christ.
I can’t help but also hear what sounds like a warning in this verse. The only thing it’s good for is it’s lost it’s flavor is to be thrown out and trampled. This sounds a lot like John 15:6 (AMP)
If a person does not dwell in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken-off] branch, and withers; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and they are burned.
This also reminds me of Deuteronomy 28 which reminds us of the blessings that come from obeying Father’s instructions and the curses that come from NOT obeying.
The takeaway from all this is simply to nourish your relationship with God and allow that life-giving flow to pour out of your life that you might be salt to a world desperately in need. And as you do, Father will richly pour out His blessings upon you. 🙂
Father may our lives reflect the LIFE that You pour into us. May we be examples to this world of the difference a relationship with You and Your Son (and Your Holy Spirit!) makes! May we be light and salt, and may we never lose our flavor 🙂