Devotion for Tuesday, April 19 (Sermon on the Mount Week)

You are the salt of the earth ... You are the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-14)

Jesus invites his followers to be "salt and light".  Have you ever thought about what salt and light do?

Salt: flavors, cleans, deodorizes, relives pain (i.e. stings, bites, poison ivy), keeps things fresh, prevents mold, extinguishes grease fires, and stop weeds in their tracks.

Light: vision, energy (solar), maintain natural rhythms (circadian), helps growth (plants), heat source, guidance and shelter in a storm

So, if you look at these uses of salt and light, then perhaps our lives as followers of Jesus are to model these same uses.

Like salt, can we flavor up the world, make it less bland?  Can we help clean up the world and perhaps "deodorize" some of the stink that is out there?  Can we be people who help relieve the pain of the world, keep things alive so they don't sit stagnant and mold? Can we put out fires that start in our world, where hate and anger rule?  Can we be a people who stop destructive forces as they creep in our lives?  

Like light, can we help others to see the world more clearly? Can we be a source of energy in the world? Can we help people find balance in their life between play, work, and rest?  Can we help foster growth? Can we be a people of warmth? Can we offer shelter and guidance amidst the storms of other's lives?

This is quite ambitious! Yet, also quite exciting!  May we indeed be salt and light in the name of Jesus!

Gracious Jesus, strengthen us as we spice up the world and scatter darkness around us. Amen.