Salt in the Soup

Cooking up a pot of hearty soup on a cold winter day is a thing of pleasure for me. I find simple delight in combining all those ingredients, simmering them and filling the house with the comforting smell of dinner! In my opinion, it is just about impossible to make a good soup without some salt. It brings out the other flavors. Too little, a bland soup; too much, a ruined soup, inedible!

Jesus said that Christians are to be the salt in the soup of life; that we are called to bring out the best in the world in which we are a part. Interesting, isn’t it, that He would choose ‘salt’ to describe the way that His followers should influence others. Salt, in Jesus’ time, was not just a flavor. It was also a primary preservative for meat and an antiseptic for wounds. Salt was so valuable that it was sometimes used like currency, hence the saying, ‘worth his salt.’  When we are being who He calls us to be, we will preserve the world around us from rot and decay, we will be healers who restore health to society.

Critics often take note of the excesses and sins committed in Christ’s Name. I cannot ignore that many have wrapped their own prejudice and preference in the guise of ‘Christian’ and done some terrible things. It is also true that the followers of Jesus have blessed the world in powerful ways. Christianity brings a high regard for human life, teaching the value of all people in the eyes of God. Christians have been in the forefront of advocacy for the rights of others- resisting slavery, speaking against exploitation of children, attacking sex trafficking. Christians have brought literacy and medical care to places around the world. Christians highly value the family, knowing that a stable, loving home is a key to a prosperous society. Yes, I know, there are hypocrites in the movement! But, study history. For every flawed ‘Christian’ there are hundreds of sincere servants of Christ who salted the earth in positive ways.

Jimmy Williams, of Probe Ministries, writes that
“Renaissance popes are not Christianity; St. Francis of Assisi is. Pizarro and Cortez are not Christianity, Bartolome de Las Casas is.Captain Ball, a Yankee slave captain, is not Christianity, Wilburforce is.” His full essay can be read here - (https://www.probe.org/the-social-and-historical-impact-of-christianity/)

Christians are too often dazzled by the prophet or preacher who makes a big splash, who attracts a big following, who builds a mega-church. “Oh, he is changing the world,” they say with something akin to idolatry! I am not demeaning major ministries or nationally known teachers. God bless them as they are faithful to His call. My point is that each one of us has a unique place and way to serve. One voice from a pulpit can never replace a hundred people serving in their community or a million faithful Christian Moms and Dads passing the faith to the next generation. Salt works only in proximity to the place of need. A shaker full of salt on the table is useless until the salt is sprinkled on the food!

Here is a word from the Word.  As you read this familiar passage, do so prayerfully, asking the Spirit to make the implications of Jesus’ metaphor clear to you. Ours is a critical and high calling. Ready to embrace it? “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. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 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. 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, NLT)

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Take My Life And Let It Be

Take my life and let it be,

Consecrated Lord to Thee.

Take my moments and my days;

Let them flow in ceaseless praise,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands and let them move

At the impulse of Thy love.

Take my feet and let them be,

Swift and beautiful for Thee,

Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice and let me sing,

Always only for my King.

Take my lips and let them be,

Filled with messages from Thee,

Filled with messages from Thee.

Frances Ridley Havergal | Henri Abraham Cesar Malan

© Words: Public Domain