DON'T LOSE YOUR SALTINESS

Matthew 5:13: “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… There are two broad approaches to seeking to shape values in society. At times you may feel the need to confront a particular value, decision or priority adopted by the community.  People have used various methods like war, demonstrations, etc to change certain values they deemed wrong in the society. But the Christian is also able to influence values day in, day out through bringing a distinctively Christian approach to the people we come across as we go about our daily lives. This is what we mean by being "salt” in the world (Mt 5:13), where by living distinctively Christian lifestyles, we seek to influence those around us and through this the values, decisions and priorities adopted by our communities. Jesus challenges us to be salt- to influence the world, and to be seen to be doing so. You are the salt of the earth Salt has been an ancient friend of mankind with a number of uses and effects: ·  seasoning agent -  as a seasoning agent, it improves the taste of the food that it comes into contact with and so also as we come into contact with society, our Christian values should improve the nature of that society. The Holy, righteous and loving character of the Christian should affect the people we meet and the society in which we live. ·  salt makes people thirsty - as Christians we should seek to create a thirst in people's lives that can only be satisfied by Jesus, who said : "if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink" (Jn 7:37). Our lives should let the broken- hearted, the weary and the hopeless thirst for Christ rather than the deceptive and temporal solutions of the world. ·  Salt is used to thaw ice on roads – In likewise manner, our Christian life of ‘salt’ should have the effect of warming hearts that have hardened against the gospel. Over time the saltiness of our lives, after coming into contact with people should bring them to know Jesus Christ. ·  As Preservative - as a preservative, salt gives food an improved length of life. Ultimately, with enough salt, those who know Jesus, and acknowledge Him as Lord and Saviour; and are walking according to His commandment will have eternal life. Christian, you are the salt of the earth. Jesus is emphasising to us that we have both the calling and the responsibility to be influencers in the world.  Bible says in James 4:4 that: “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God”.  1John2:15 says that: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him”. How have you influenced your colleagues, neighbours and the world Losing your saltiness Salt which loses its saltiness is useless. There is little room for those who are Christians, but who have lost their saltiness.  Without the testimony of lives lived out with integrity and consistency with the principles that Christians claim to follow, the testimony of our lips is useless.   There is no way to make a saltiless salt salty again and therefore it is very important that the Christian guard himself against losing his Christian morals and principles to the world. Hebrew 6:4-6 says “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5: And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,6: If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. How do we affect lives? The same way that salt does it. First, salt must be different from the food before it can be of use. If salt loses its taste then it is useless and can no longer make a difference. If believers have nothing that distinguishes them from unbelievers, then they are like salt that has lost its saltiness and therefore cannot make a difference. And what distinguishes us from non-believers should be not so much what we claim to be or the badges and pins we wear but the life we live. Secondly, salt operates by associating with the thing that it wants to change. Salt cannot improve the food unless it goes into the food and changes it from within. Sometimes Christians think that the way to go is to keep away from getting involved but bible says that “we are in the world but not of the world”. We should not be shying away from the realities of our society and our world as if lighting a candle and hiding it under a cover cloth. We must get and live that righteous life to make a difference. Thirdly, Christians living under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and in obedience to Christ will inevitably influence the world for good, as salt has a positive influence on the flavor of the food it seasons. Where there is strife, we are to be peacemakers; where there is sorrow, we are to be the ministers of Christ, binding up wounds, and where there is hatred, we are to exemplify the love of God in Christ, returning good for evil (Luke 6:35). But beware The Christian is constantly in spiritual battle which hinders or prevents the Christian from fulfilling his or her role as salt in the world. This can happen either through a choice to accept the ways of the world for the sake of comfort or convenience or to contravene the law of obedience to Christ. John15:19 – “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you”.      The loss of saltiness occurs in the failure of the Christian to daily take up the cross and follow Christ wholeheartedly; To study the word of truth and walk accordingly; To cease to pray; to grief the Holy Spirit in sin and not glorify God in all circumstances. It seems, then, that the role of the Christian as salt in the world may be hindered or prevented through any choice to compromise or settle for that which is more convenient or comfortable, rather than that which is truly best and pleasing to the Lord. Only by remaining focused on Christ and being obedient to Him can we expect to remain salt in the world. James1:27 says “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. Think About it Today’s world is frightening. If there is so much darkness and bitterness in the world today, it is because we as Christians have failed in our job to be salt in the world. But we can decide to make a difference starting from today. In your own small way as a Christian, how are you affecting the lives of the numerous people you meet every day? Remember: “You are the salt of the earth” Amen!