Salt and Light

Today, I picked the song "Vessels" by Ivoryline. Listen to it, and let the words speak to you.

Maybe this time, no next time.
We'll get our lives right, we'll get it right.
Will we just do what feels good?
And then we know it could cause our souls to drown.

In all the distractions of our lives,

What does it mean to be
Salt and light in a world that's speechless?
Salt and light in a world of darkness?

Insecurities are breeding inside me,
And they won't let you go to song,
But they won't last against the sword's edge,
The blade, the blade cuts right through wrong.

All the distractions of our lives,

What does it mean to be,
Salt and light in a world that's speechless,
Salt and light in a world of darkness.

What does it mean to be,
Salt and light in a world that's speechless?
Salt and light in a world of darkness?

I wanna know,
I need to know,
I want to know.
(What does it really mean to be?)

What does it mean to be
Salt and light in a world that's speechless?
Salt and light in a world of darkness?

Last night at our Engineering Bible Study, we went through the first half of Matthew 5. Most people know this chapter because it contains the beatitudes, Jesus’ blessings on us. I want to look at what he talks about right after the beatitudes, or the “salt and light” speech.

Jesus calls us salt of the earth. At first glance, this sounds like an insult, but quite the contrary, Jesus is giving us a huge calling. What are the properties of salt? First is that salt preserves things. Our first task as being “salt” Christians is to keep things from going bad. In other words, our job here is to show others that our God is faithful and loving, and that we are changed through that.

The second property is that salt flavors things. As children of God and followers of Christ’s example, we are supposed to shake things up. With all of the good news I know, do I really want to stay quiet and keep it to myself?

Jesus then goes on to call us light of the world. It’s our job to cry out God’s name to the nations and fulfill Jesus’ Great Commission. Something that took me time to understand is that I am a light to the world, not just to other Christians. We all need to be a shining example for a dark world. Without Christ, what is there to look forward to?

Heavenly Father, I pray that we as Christians can be a faithful example to everyone we meet. Light a fire inside us so that we can be confident and loving, and help us to preserve souls and not be afraid to go against the flow of this place. Give us the words to speak when we feel uncertain about what to say. Make us Your disciples so that we can be a guiding light in this shadowy world. You are so good Lord.

 "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 by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 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. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16