relationships (Matthew 5:13) Being Effective in Adding Value

(Matthew 5:13)

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by people.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY

I'm very curious to learn how this will apply to our relationships, with the Lord and/or with others.  So, looking at the definition for "salt":

• it is used to season food, to add flavor
• therefore it was also used to sprinkle onto people's sacrifices.
• it protects food, because it purifies and preserves food, so it will not change
• therefore it is a symbol of lasting accord.
• therefore it was and is used in Asian customs to partake together
• therefore it signifies wisdom and grace exhibited in speech
• THEREFORE: "salt" in this verse is figurative for prudence.

In the sense of salt becoming tasteless, it then would not serve any purpose.  Putting all of this information into context, this would be another way to describe foolishness.  Culturally, the joke was - IF - real salt could lose its saltiness, how can one restore its salty flavor - except to salt it.  

Scientifically, adding real salt doesn't change fake salt, because it was never real salt to begin with.  Now, real salt can SEEM to lose its flavor only because of impurities, additives and/or moisture.  In other words, the real salt is still there, but the things that have been added to it, has dummied down its effectiveness.  The more additives, the less effective.

Now, how does this apply to us and our relationships?  All of us start life as fake, flavorless, worthless salt, therefore hopeless and without purpose.  But with God, all things are possible.  So, when we repent of our sins, and ask Jesus to forgive us and come into our life, He chooses to no longer remember our sins, and He covers us with His righteousness, which purifies us!  And with His indwelling Holy Spirit, He changes us from the inside out, which seasons us with His loving and holy qualities.  He protects and preserves us for all eternity.  He gives us purpose, and with His guidance we gain His wisdom and grace.  And as we walk with, trust in, and rely on Him, He helps us to be prudent, and helps us love others with His love, which is everlasting, unchanging, unconditional and sacrificial!.

Now, just like real salt cannot lose its flavor, a true believer cannot lose their salvation or their purpose.  But just like real salt can appear to lose its flavor, we too can and will stumble and add impurities to our lives.  The more we sin, the less effective we become to the Lord and His kingdom.  

Therefore, so that we can maintain our flavor and value in God's purpose that He has given us, we are to confess our sins as soon as we realize them.  For us to be flavorful and valuable to others, we must embrace our relationship with the Lord, learn from Him, and be equipped by Him, who is our source of all things good!!!  Our prudence, wisdom and grace will be the evidence of our relationship with God.  Another way to put it is, in order to be more godlike, we must grow closer to God!!!