THE SALT OF THE WORLD
DEVOTIONAL 10/30/2026
Matthew 5
13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
In this teaching, Jesus points out for us the principle that salt is the key ingredient that can bring flavor to bland food. For thousands of years, salt was used in many cultures to season food. If salt does not bring its saltiness anymore to the table, what is the use of salt? We should rather throw it away then. Just like salt, Christians, who are the salt of the earth, need to demonstrate power to show righteousness. We are not called to be tasteless in this world. We have to stand out as workers of good deeds and righteousness.
Jesus also uses other parallel concepts. Christians are the light of the world. A city with people living in it will always have light, and cannot be hidden if it is on a hill. If a candle is hidden, it cannot give light to the whole house. The whole house will be in darkness. The world will be in darkness because no one shows them the glorious way of the Lord. We are called to model righteousness so that people will learn as good examples to follow and also glorify God.
The principles of Christians and teachings of Christ are not limited to the house of God. The world needs to hear them. Christian way of conduct needs to be published all over the world.
However, remember not to be a performative Christian as the LORD warns in
Matthew 6
1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have the glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
5 And when thou prayest, thou shall not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
To sum up, do not be weary of doing good works, people can recognize your character. However, be mindful of your motives. Are you doing those things for attention or for God?
Sam Christian
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Photo by Timo Volz: https://www.pexels.com/photo/piles-of-salt-in-salinas-7855174/
Acknowledgements
Vocabulary and grammar checks were done with the help of www.collinsdictionary.com/us, Microsoft Word, and Google Docs.
The Bible used is the King James Version by Christian Art Publishers, PO Box 1599, Vereeniging, 1930, RSA (King James Version Bible Large Print Thinline Edition, 2016).
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