Salt

Matthew 5 has this section about Salt:

13 “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.14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

How many of you have heard sermons and Bible studies on being the Salt of the earth – and then, of course, the purpose and use of salt and how to relate that to being Christians.  Well, I couldn’t help but add one more thought to your pile of theological knowledge.  So here goes. 

When you use salt with pickles or other vegetables that have bitter properties (such as eggplant) the salt is used not just to flavor the cucumbers but also to remove some of the bitterness.  So the presence of salt in your August relishes is done in part to remove bitterness.  Thinly slice your cucumbers, pour on an ample amount of salt and in a matter of minutes the salt has done its trick.  You will know by the amount of liquid that the cucumbers are sitting in.  Some of that liquid is bitter because the salt helps to pull out the bitterness along with the liquid.  Rinse them off, drain the excess water, add a little apple cider vinegar and you have a great summer pickle relish.

So, now let’s apply this to our life as Jesus followers.  We exist in a bitter world and that bitterness often rubs off on us.  When we focus on Jesus and all His blessings for us, we lose that bitterness.  It is part of being a Christian AND applying Jesus’ teachings to our life.  So we become less bitter by focusing on the blessings of being a child of God.  That makes us salt.  The goal is that anyone we come in contact with is affected by our “salt” and they, in turn, can lose some of their bitterness.

Go be what God has made you to be; and go enjoy some cucumber salad while you are at it.  J

Blessings to you in Jesus.

 Al