WATCHWORD:
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:13-16
5b make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:5b-8
Meditation:
Salt and Light
A friend of mine recently returned from a family gathering in the Florida Keys and she brought me a beautiful T-shirt made from quality cotton, light blue, with “Salt Life” written on the front. On the back there’s a kind of panorama reflecting life in the Florida Keys, bearing the same Salt Life caption. The ‘t’ in the word salt has a long tail forming a cross in the center of the back.
I don’t know if the cross on the back was intentional, and I don’t think I noticed it until I got to thinking about how Jesus compared our Christian walk to salt and the way it flavors life. In Jesus day, salt was a valuable commodity. Roman soldiers were sometimes paid with salt, giving rise to the phrase “Worth his salt”.
Jesus didn’t stop there, he went on to combine salt and light, comparing that image to the good deeds that have a contagious effect, reflecting the love of Christ. When Jesus tells us that we are the light of the world, He gives us a great compliment but assigns great responsibility. Note the words He uses, He is calling us to be the light of the world, he is sharing that most important element in the dispelling of darkness in our lives.
To be the light of the world means that we have a dual responsibility. We not only receive the Word, the light, but we also must share it as light-givers. We must have a greater concern for others, the salt of our lives, than we have for ourselves and we must have a mindset that says that we share the love of God and to do so lovingly.
In previous devotionals I’ve observed how light overcomes darkness, and how love overcomes hate and lack of forgiveness. The combination of light and salt, Word and Love, is a powerful formula that is contagious and passes from one person to another, dispelling hate and darkness on the way. The salt of our Christian walk reflects the character and the purpose of one who believes in Christ as Lord and savior. May it be so with you. Amen
Beautiful Worship Songs About Light:
Light of world, You stepped down into darkness, Open my eyes, let me see. Beauty that made this heart adore you, Hope of a life spent with you. Here I am To Worship, here I am to bow down, Here I am to say that You are my God. (Light of the World)
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. When I feel afraid. When I think I’ve lost my way…You are there right beside me. (Thy Word)
To see You high and lifted up, shining in the light of Your glory, Pour out your power and love, as we sing holy, holy, holy, Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, I want to see You. (Open the Eyes of My Heart)
Prayer for Light:
Heavenly Father, it is only You who can provide us with the Light, the life that we need to overcome the darkness of this world, the darkness that sometimes fills our lives. Open our hearts and minds, Lord, to Your presence, help us to be salt to the world, let Your light shine into us so that we may pass it on as You have instructed us to do. You are our Lord and Savior, it’s in You we place our trust, our very lives. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen
