It's a little salty in here...

Matthew 5:13
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men."

I know right? First she goes and does a study on love thy neighbor as thyself, then she does salt of the earth. 'Jesus wept' is next week, guys.

So what does salt do? It seasons food and stuff, and preserves it, and is thrown over your left shoulder for luck. As I go through these next examples, think about how we're like the salt.

Salt never goes bad, if you leave it alone. It will never lose its flavor, never make a mistake, never rebel... When salt is just sitting there in the shaker, it won't just pass an expiration date and die.

If you put salt near other foods, it can absorb the flavor of them. After the salt tastes like steak, it might do the same job, but it doesn't taste as good to us. But maybe it's easier for the salt to preserve things a second time. The salt has an easier time working to save something if it already knows what to do. (I think...the google fairy won't tell me).
But by the same token, the salt can also go bad by being near to other foods. How can it be made good again? It has the scars from previous situations, the taste from previous situations, and the ideas from previous situations. Philippians 4:13 tells me that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens Me." So when the salt has been renewed by the grace of God, it still remembers the time when it was bad, and can use that experience to share how great God is.

While salt can go bad near other foods, it's kind of silly to just have a bunch of salt in a salt-shaker all by itself and just sit on the table. If the salt just hangs out with his other salt friends and never ventures out to share his saltiness with the world, what's the point of being salt? Where's the fun?

And lastly...when salt gets wet. I learned this at my grandparent's anniversary party, actually. If you have a wet salt shaker, and then don't let it completely dry before you put more salt in, the salt will not come out, no matter how hard your great-aunt shakes the thing, or how hard your uncle and mom laugh at you for not knowing. So if the salt refuses to come out, it's obviously not doing the person (or the food) any good. The song 'Stained Glass Masquerade' by Casting Crowns comes to mind. The salt needs to be willing to help. Other salt shakers that are willing to work can be found, but it's much harder than if it was just there already.

I mentioned before that the salt is trying to save something. We may think that we can save the sinners of the world, but we can only be kind and loving and point the finger upwards (pointers, please!). Only Jesus can save the world of their sins, just as He's saved me from mine, and I hope He has saved you from yours.

If He hasn't, I pray you will find His amazing grace, and acknowledge to God that you are a sinner, and that you know that Jesus came down to earth to die for your sins. You don't have to agree with everything I or Kiara say, or everything your Christian best friend says, or even everything your pastor says. Kiara and I are both Christians, but we believe slightly varying things. Neither is necessarily right or wrong, they're just different. The one big belief is that Jesus is the way to salvation. (the way, the truth, the life, John 14:6). Believing that Jesus died for you is what you need to get to heaven, and the only thing that can get you there. (Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." There's no greater feeling than knowing that His arm will be around you the day you meet His father.

You are in my prayers, and for anyone who just prayed for salvation for the first time, congratulations, and welcome to the family. The next step is to love Christ with all your heart, and to read God's Word to learn more about this God who saved you. Drop us an email so we can pray for you specifically (rocktalk951@gmail.com)

In His Service,
Joyce