Out of the Salt Shaker

A man walked into a small grocery store and asked the owner, “Do you sell salt?”   To which the owner responded, “Ha ! Do we sell salt? Just look !” He showed the man an entire wall stocked with nothing but salt: Morton salt, iodized salt, kosher salt, sea salt, rock salt, garlic salt – every kind of salt you could think of and then some !     “Wow” said the man.   The owner then continued, “You think that’s something ? Come look.”  The proprietor led him to the back room and showed him shelves, bins, cartons, and barrels all containing salt.   “Do we sell salt?!” He laughed. “Unbelievable” said the salt seeking man, “You really do sell salt !!”  To which the ownber replied, “That’s just the problem, we never sell it. But that salt salesman – hoo-boy, does he ever sell salt !!!!”

When Jesus preached that great sermon on the mount He spoke of salt, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt has lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” (Matt.5:13).    Salt that stays “on the shelf” doesn’t do any good at all.

That word “savor” is interesting for it means to become flat or lose its strength or flavor. When used as a metaphor it also has the idea of foolishness. But combined in this verse it points to we who are saved having the ability, due to Christ in us, to make a distinct difference in a decaying world by a Christlike testimony. Or, as Jesus warns, to forfeit that spiritual effectiveness by choosing not to live for Him.  But let me hone in on the idea of strength inherent in this word.  This points to the key in your making an impact for the Lord through your life.  Are you regularly drawing strength from Him each day to be a godly example?  One of the great blessings of reading the Bible is that your mind begins to be affected by Him through it and your actions and attitudes start to transform to be more like Jesus !  This is why Paul wrote his friends and brethren in Thessalonica and wrote, “And ye became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the WORD. . . so that ye were examples. . . ” (1Thess.1:6-7).

You do not try to become better or work harder at a being a better testimony, if you catch my drift. You let God transform you as you receive His Word, just as Jesus was alluding to here, just as the Thessalonians did there !  So today, keep allowing Him to speak to you, deep down, and take His Words to heart and get off the shelf and out of the shaker – make a difference in a decaying and dying world !!

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