Sprinkle Salt
“You are the salt of the earth…” (Matthew 5:13 NKJV).
“You are the salt of the earth…” (Matthew 5:13 NKJV).
There are different kinds of salt for different purposes and there are many benefits and uses for salt. For example: Epsom salt is commonly used to help relieve pain, swelling, and inflammation. Himalayan salt and Sea salt are used to promote healthier skin, relax and ease achy muscles, and stimulate circulation. Table salt is used most often to flavor food and is a needed ingredient in cooking and baking. Salt is important and has been used since Biblical times.
When God gave the Israelites instructions on offering their grain offerings to Him, He commanded that every offering must be seasoned with salt.
“And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt” (Leviticus 2:13 NKJV).
Salt was (and still is) used for preservation of meat and other foods. In the command to use “salt with all their offerings”, the salt would represent the preservation of the covenant they had with God; “the salt of the covenant” or it could be viewed as the preservation of the covenant. In the New Living Bible translation Leviticus 2:13 says the salt was to remind them of God’s eternal covenant: “Season all your grain offerings with salt to remind you of God’s eternal covenant. Never forget to add to your grain offerings.” Adding salt to the offerings was not optional. It was a command to be obeyed. The salt was a sign that the people agreed with God and would follow God’s commandments.
In the New Testament, God established a new covenant, through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son. Jesus was the atoning sacrifice for mankind’s sins against God. Although Jesus never sinned, He became sin and He died in our place, (the penalty for sin, is death), and God raised Him back to life.
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (II Corinthians 5:21 NKJV).
When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you enter a new covenant. The new covenant is the eternal promise that God will forgive our sins and restore our relationship with Him. Believers/followers of Christ Jesus are born again and made new through the sanctification of the Holy Spirt.
Animal sacrifices and grain offerings are no longer needed, because Jesus became the sacrifice and offering for the forgiveness of our sins. We are forgiven and redeemed by the blood of Jesus. Jesus is the way for us to be reconciled back into relationship with God.
“For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28 NKJV).
Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:13 that we, (His followers), are the salt of the earth. When we are born again, sealed with the Holy Spirt, we come into agreement with God that we will obey Him and obey His commandments – To love the LORD and to love each other.
“Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14 NKJV).
When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, who comes to live within us. He brings with Him spiritual gifts, God’s heavenly ‘salt’. Through the Holy Spirit, we use these gifts to help us sprinkle God’s goodness on unbelievers and to help and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus.
“…Have salt in yourselves and have peace with one another” (Mark 9:50 NKJV).
The spiritual gifts we receive give spiritual health and benefits. We are to use them to help each other and give glory and praise to God. They can be likened to sprinkling salt…. We are to Sprinkle compassion to help comfort those that are hurting. Sprinkle gentleness and patience to those that need understanding of God’s salvation. Sprinkle Love to help ease the burdens of those in need. Sprinkle kindness to someone having a rough day. Sprinkle hope on those that feel hopeless. Where there is chaos, sprinkle peace.
“Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one” (Colossians 4:6 NKJV).
While there are many health benefits we can get from earthly salt, what the world really needs is the Spiritual health benefits from the ‘salt’ that can only come from God’s grace. The world needs to be sprinkled with heavenly ‘salt’ by those of us that have tasted and seen and know that the LORD is good.
“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalms 34:8 NKJV).
Until next time…Let us sprinkle love and grace - God’s heavenly Salt
Shalom.
I love that thought of our gifts being sprinkled like 'salt'! We can sprinkle our spiritual salt, heavenly seasoning of grace. What a lovely thought.
I suppose we could also sprinkle with prayer.