Salt and Light

“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 underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.”

Matthew 5:13-14 (NIV)

Having shared with His disciples what it means to be blessed, Jesus now shares with his followers the impact they are to have on the world.

So, how do we live as “salt of the earth” and “the light of the world?” First, we seek to relinquish our own egos and we hunger and thirst for the true righteousness of Jesus Christ, who died upon the cross for our sins. When we do this, we truly love because we understand we are truly loved. Many of us are like the prodigal son who ran from his father for many years and did not come back until he had spent everything and was living with the pigs. To his surprise, he was greeted with joy by his father. One of the purposes of this parable is to show us that we are not loved through any merit of our own but because we are God's children.

As I meditate upon the love that God has shown me, I want to share this love with those in my sphere of influence. This includes my wife, children, employees, peers, boss, readers of this blog, and anyone else I come into contact with. As an example, after meditating on some words I read early this Sunday morning, I wrote the prayer at the end of this entry. Afterward, I felt such joy that I was softly singing Blessed Assurance in my local grocery store as I grabbed a few items for breakfast. The only people who may have heard me were two or three employees and I have no idea what they thought but I hoped that they received something positive from it, no matter how off-key my singing was.

Lord Jesus,

Please guide our hearts, mind and soul today to be intent on loving you.

As your love fills our body and our soul, please guide us to extend that love to others.

Do not let us be blind to the suffering of others.

Show us where we may help others through our time and our gifts.

Break through our fear and selfishness so that we may show your love and others.

May we, through your example be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.