Ollie says:
"Salt be making all kinda thing mighty darn tasty!"
"You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? IT is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men(Matthew 5:13)."
"You are the salt of the earth." This phrase means a lot of
different things to many different people. This is the beauty of
Jesus's words. They can mean many different things at once. Salt is
used to flavor food, and it was also used in ancient times as a way to
preserve meats. During the Roman empire, salt was given as a payment
for services rendered. Since they had no refrigerators, they needed
all the salt they could get. This is where the word, `salary' comes from.
According to Matthew, Jesus speaks of us being a light on the
hill that cannot be hidden, and the salt of the earth. In this
context, it appears that he speaks of flavoring. Mark 9:50 says that
the flavor is to be at peace with one another. I also strongly believe
that we cannot be effective Christians unless we put our best talents
to use for the service of God. Proverbs 3:6 says that we should
acknowledge God in all that we do and the results will be good. This
is another way to be salty.
But one cannot forget the environment. Although the scripture
does not overtly state that we should take care of it, I believe that
we should not destroy the good earth God has given us. Salt is a
preservative, after all. As good stewards of this earth, I believe we
should recycle, use products made of recycled materials, especially
for printing documents of any kind, and buy bibles printed on recycled
paper in order to slow down clear cutting. We live in an age where our
natural resources, the ones God has provided, are becoming more and
more scarce. At the very least, it will show the unbelievers in this
world that Christians care about the environment. Let us not make our
wastefulness become a wedge between us and the lost sheep of the world.
And season your speech with salt, too. Colossians 4:6 says it
should be gracious and seasoned with salt, so you know how to talk to
everyone. I learned a lot about this in Boy Scouts. A Scout is clean.
That means physically clean, and more importantly, clean in speech.
You will not be a very good witness for Christ if you insist on
talking like the average construction worker.
Dear Jesus, you tell us to be salt of the earth. Let us not be the kind of salt that is thrown away to be trampled by men, but instead let us be your dedicated servants. Let us employ the best of our talents and gifts to share your message with the rest of the world, and help us to be at peace with our fellow people. Let us also not be wasteful or careless stewards of nature, but help us to preserve it the best we can. Please also help us to refrain from using vile language that does not befit us, so that the very worst people can say about us is that we are Christians. Amen.