Have you ever tried to lower your sodium intake? Things just don’t taste the same with low sodium. As bad as it may be for our blood-pressure, salt does make things taste good. When Jesus said that we are the salt of this earth, Jesus meant that we are the spice of this world. We’re here to add flavor, in other words; we are here to make things taste good.
The purpose of salt, the purpose of spice, is to add flavor. Job 6:6 asks “Can flavorless food be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?”
I love good flavorful food. We use lots of spice at our house. If you don’t like garlic you would have a hard time at our house. We grow our own basil and rosemary so that we have fresh flavorful spices that are much tastier than the dried spices you can buy in the store. Take a quick look at our spice rack and you will find thyme, sage, paprika, oregano, curry, bay leaves, chili powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, cumin, onion, coriander, turmeric, mustard, saffron, and pepper. The purpose of each of these spices is to add flavor.
In Matthew 5:13, Jesus said. “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its salty taste, it cannot be made salty again. It is good for nothing, except to be thrown out and walked on”.
Without salt or spice, many foods are very bland and tasteless. Jesus isn’t looking for bland followers. If you aren’t salty, if you aren’t spicy, if you have no flavor you aren’t good for anything.
In verses 14 and 15 Jesus continues, “You are the light that gives light to the world. A city that is built on a hill cannot be hidden. And people don’t hide a light under a bowl. They put it on a lampstand so the light shines for all the people in the house. In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and will praise your Father in heaven”.
Light has amazing qualities. One of my favorite qualities is when it passes through a prism and breaks up into the colors of the rainbow. We are to be the light that gives light to the world, but we each one are a different color. We each have different qualities, different flavors, and different spices.
God hasn’t asked us to be cookie cutter copies of each other. He has asked each one of us to spice up our corner of the world. Each one of us has a sphere of influence that no one else has. God has asked us to be a light in our sphere of influence.
When it’s dark, people notice the light. Have you ever seen a searchlight? When I was a kid growing up it seemed like we saw them quite often. Whenever I would see one it was very intriguing.
I haven’t seen a searchlight in years, but I can still vividly remember seeing them. I grew up out in the country where there were no streetlights. When I could see a searchlight it looked like it was the only thing in the sky.
Is there any way someone could hide a light like that? No way. There are some lights that just cannot be hid. So if that light is on, then we are going to see it; and if we can’t see it, there’s something wrong!
If salt is there, then we’re going to taste it; and if we can’t taste it, there’s something wrong!
If there are spices, then we’re going to taste them; and if we can’t taste them, there’s something wrong!
In just the same way, Christians should make a difference in this world; we should be just as noticeable as salt and light. We should be the spice of the world, and the world needs more spice.
------------------------------------------
I am very involved in my local Relay For Life. You can view my Relay For Life Blog here.
Excellent analogies, Richard, and a sermon we should all take to heart.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that you and Gina like flavor in your food. Life's too short to have to eat blah food!
Love your photos of the spices. Love spicy food. I dont bother what I take when I am younger but now I am very conscious on my diet. No sweet food and no salty food and definitely no junk food. But I cant stop myself from taking curry and chilli crabs...lol
ReplyDeleteA very interesting lesson about spices and other things important for our life. I enjoyed it very much.
ReplyDeleteAmen to that.
ReplyDeleteNice illustrations of your message in photos and in words.
Shabbat shalom.
I have been through a period when I had to lower my sodium intake. I did as you did and increased other the use of other spices. An alternative is to use NaCl (sodium chloride) mixed with KCl (potassium chloride). It tastes more like normal salt, but with less sodium.
ReplyDeleteNow I can use salt more or less like normal, but after three and a half years on a low-salt diet, everything "normal" now tastes too salty!
I do love my salt!!! And BTW, I grew up near Harvielle, MO. Just north of the Arkansas border -- found your blog surfing from "Roller Coaster Ride"
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw that you lived in Belize, I had to write and when you read my profile you'll see why.
ReplyDeleteI loved Belize, and what it did for my family.
A wonderful post, Richie! At one church we attended years ago (in another city), the junior high youth group was called The Salt Company and the high school youth group was called The Light Company.
ReplyDeleteI love your thought that God has asked us to spice up our little corner of the world, not to be cookie cutter copies of each other.
That will preach.