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 underfoot. “You are the light of the world. A town built 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 others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. — Matthew 5: 13 — 16 (NIV)
The passage above is such a remarkable passage from Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount. It reveals God’s expectations for the believer in living his life here on earth, and that expectation revolves around two virtues: Salt and Light. These virtues are crucial for believers to exhibit in all aspects of their lives, and in today’s devotional, we will deconstruct them in a manner that will help us embody them in all our affairs.
So, what is Salt? Salt is a mineral compound used for flavouring and preservation, and Jesus particularly focused on its flavouring aspect in His teaching. When we plug a believer into the combined flavouring and preservation attributes of salt, we understand that a believer is supposed to be the agency for preservation and flavour for the earth. In preserving, we uphold the values of the King of Kings and His Kingdom of righteousness on earth by maintaining the ancient landmarks of godliness and righteousness. Failure to preserve these values will lead to the corruption that breeds impiety, resulting in an implosion.
In addition to preservation, we are also meant to act as a flavouring agent by being ambassadors of the kingdom in such a manner that causes others to desire to be part of us. Our lives should evoke a marvel that can only be experienced in a love relationship with the Almighty. To live any less than this divine requirement is akin to a salt losing its saltiness and is no longer fit for the task of kingdom advancement, hence, it is destined for the garbage where it is of no use. One word that best describes the salt-like attribute in a believer is Character.
Now, let us consider Light; Light, according to physicists, is an electromagnetic radiation perceived by the human eye. Its visibility produces a response, as it is almost impossible to see for the sake of seeing as a corresponding action must follow the ability to see. For example, when you enter a dark room to retrieve an object, you first illuminate the room, and then you begin to search. Similarly, the world is in darkness concerning matters of life and living, especially as it relates to the original intent of our design and now because the world is in darkness, the prevailing outputs we see are outputs that are inconsistent with its design because people don’t know any other way.
Some weeks ago, I read the story of a young man who purchased a product from a famous skin-care line and had been using that product like a body lotion, whereas the product was originally a bathing liquid soap. He only realised his error a few weeks later when he took the time to read the label on the product, and then illumination came, leading to a change of course. Just like that young man, the world as we know it keeps misappropriating life and until believers enter into the mandate of being light and strategically place themselves on the candle stand to provide illumination for all that is in the room, that misappropriation will continue to be the norm.
While Salt speaks to character, Light speaks to illuminating competence in matters pertaining to both life and the kingdom. This therefore means the expectation of God regarding the life of a believer is one that must exemplify heaven-grade solutions and insights in all matters. A perfect case study is Joseph in his interactions with Pharaoh and Daniel in handling the extraordinary request of King Nebuchadnezzar. God expects us to exhibit competence of the highest grade that speaks to Him as our source and our unwavering commitment to diligence. Apostle Paul’s resume in 1st Corinthians 15:10 speaks to both the overriding influence of grace in conjunction with the unwavering commitment to diligence, little wonder he turned the world upside down for Christ.
In conclusion, God will spend time building our salt-light tendencies because without it, we will lack the requisite capacity to preserve the gains of light, thus making a mockery of it all and if we only exemplify exceptional character without impact-laden competence, then we will be genuinely incapacitated to influence this world for Christ. So, as we step into this week, let us leverage on the grace of God to build our salt and light abilities, for these are indeed the twin virtues of a life of faith.
Shalom!
Nonso Orji
IG/X: @nonso_orji