"Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the salt of the earth; but if the salt shall lose its savor wherewith shall the earth be salted? The salt shall be thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men."
– 3 Nephi 12:13 (see also Matthew 5:13)
Salt is used to bring out the flavor in dishes, and also used as a preservative. It is a valuable mineral, and has been used in some ancient cultures as a form of money. So when Christ teaches us to be the salt of the earth, what does this mean?
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we have the good news of the gospel to share with the world. We can share a spiritual flavor with those around us, and season our speech, our actions, and our lives with spirituality. We become the salt of the earth as we study the word of God, keep the commandments Christ has given us, and strive to live a life of worthiness.
How does salt lose its savor? Have you ever really thought about this? You can keep a canister of salt on your shelf almost indefinitely, and the salt stays salty and potent indefinitely. You can mix salt in food, and it will increase the flavor and savoriness of the dish. It doesn't lose its savor. The only thing that makes salt lose its savor is mixing it with dirt.
So think about that for a minute. As God's spiritual salt, we can lose our spiritual savor when we allow filthiness into our lives. There are so many different kinds of filth that can damage our spirituality - what we say, what we do, who we associate with, things we pursue for entertainment, the list can go on and on. We have to be careful and show discretion about these things. If we do this, we will not lose our spiritual savor.
Personally, I don't want to be cast out and trodden under God's foot, worthless to Him. There is nothing I want more than to be valuable in my Lord's eyes and to be put to good use for Him. I am made for Him and His service, and I long to stay that way.
With love,
While I don't believe that we are ever fully worthless to God (he can still use us as a good "bad" example), I totally love how you've illustrated how we can loose our spiritual savor! :)
ReplyDeleteMindy @ New Equus - A New Creation
http://newequus.wordpress.com
It's funny that you say we can be a good "bad" example, because some of the most important decisions I've made in my life came from watching others' bad examples.
DeleteThanks for visiting!
It's so true that what we choose for entertainment can affect us more than we realize. Thanks for the great reminder!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your salty story at "Tell me a Story." Our speech needs to be seasoned with salt. That was a good reminder to keep salty as Christians ! Our lives must be salty enough to make an impact on others we come into contact with.
ReplyDeleteI agree that while others are watching our lives, there are lessons to learn by observing those who have failed to keep salty. The Bible is like that too, with examples of success and examples of those who fell into sin. May we shun evil and cling to Jesus.
A lot of filth is available in this world. I'd like to be sprinkled all over it!
ReplyDeletemy prayer always: God Help me to be salt and light to the people around me. And yes, we must be careful so we will not be contaminated. It is we that should had effect on others around us by God's love shown through us:) Dropping by from " Whatever Wednesday
ReplyDeleteThank you for this biblical writing! Great.
ReplyDeleteYes, being valuable to Him is a vital aspect of life-forever. Our friends and family can be very near the top, in our everyday life, but not AT the top. He is IT.
ReplyDeleteIndeed I want to be salt and light that always points to Christ alone.
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up with WIP Wednesday!
Mary Beth
I love the picture you created here with the salt and dirt! Thank you for sharing and linking up with Simply Helping Him! :) Blessings!
ReplyDeleteI like it.
ReplyDeleteI had never thought about how salt can lose it's flavor. I want to get rid anything in my life that could do this. I want others to see Jesus in me! Thank you for linking up today.
ReplyDeleteBlessings~
Shari
I did not know how salt lost its savor, now I know and it is so appropriate as I am sure God planned it that way. I stand by Philippians 4:8 to be my guide in keeping the dirt out of my salt. Thank you for the post.
ReplyDeleteMixing it with dirt, eh? I didn't know that! Thanks for linking up to Thrive @ Home!
ReplyDeletewow...I never knew the only way for salt to lose it's flavor was to mix it with dirt. That verse really hits home now and means so much more than it did. Thanks for the teaching.
ReplyDeleteInteresting observation. I had never heard that mixing it with dirt would cause it to lose its saltiness. Wow, that really makes the passage even more meaningful. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Charlotte
Thanks for linking...a good analogy of what I always try to remember-to make choices with Christ as a focus...
ReplyDeleteBlessings!