The Sweetness of Salt
Every week when I am preparing to write my latest blog post, I usually have no idea of what the finished product will look like. My mother has since stop asking me the same question week after week, “How in the world did you come up with that?” I’m certain she has simply gotten used to my typical response, which is, “I didn’t write that, the Holy Spirit did!”
In terms of the process, it usually begins with a word or title and flows (eventually) from there. This week the Lord gave me the title, “The Sweetness of Salt.” Being a person who loves to research and learn new things (I know…the Nerd Alert is blinking), I began to investigate the significance of one of the world’s most common substances, Salt.
Who knew it has over 14,000 reported uses and historically had as much value as gold? Today, its uses range from helping keep milk fresh longer, fixing sticking irons, relieving bee stings to preventing snow and ice from collecting on your car windshield, etc. Additionally, it comes in many different colors, and has five different tastes, such as: bitter, sour, savory, salty and yes, sweet.
When I recently came across Matthew 5:13 NIV, I knew it was the Lord’s confirmation for the title. In this scripture, Jesus says, “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.”
Ever wondered about these simple but powerful words? Let’s begin with the how salt can lose its saltiness? In order for this to occur, it must be diluted in someway (i.e., with water). Our spiritual “salt” gains strength through the Gospel of God’s Word. It only loses it favor when diluted by sin.
Our saltiness symbolizes two very important aspects to God: Healing and Purity. Let’s start with the Healing. One day while cooking, I accidentally cut myself on the finger. It was a deep slash and I worried that I might have to go to the Emergency Room. Before I began to panic, I called my Momma (The Queen of Home Remedies) for a quick fix solution. She told me to pour salt directly into the incision. As you can imagine, it stung like crazy at first! Almost instantly, however, the pain began to numb. Amazingly, that cut proved to be one of the fastest healing wounds I’ve ever had. Similar to when that salt helped heal my cut (through the Grace of God), when we allow the Holy Spirit to use our life and testimony to help “heal” the hurting or broken, we become God’s Salt of the Earth.
In considering the purity factor of salt, you only need to look at Ezekiel 43: 23-24 NIV. In this scripture, the Lord told Ezekiel to “sprinkle salt on” a young bull and ram as a sign of purity before they were sacrificed. Regardless of our past, the only way we can become purified is through the Holy Spirit. Only He can influence us to forgive those who hurt us. He is also the reason we become convicted when we mistreat others. As Daughters of the Most High God, our behavior should always demonstrate a “sprinkle of salt” or purity of Christ.
In a nutshell, in order to please our Heavenly Father, we should strive to live a life that not only maintains its saltiness, but is also sweetened by the influence of the Holy Spirit.
