The Missionary
Salt

Scripture Reading:  Matthew 5:1-13

Key Verse: Matthew 5:13

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

I want to take a close look at the missionary himself (or herself).  Remember, the definition of a missionary is a person with a mission.  Jesus gave us all, His followers, a mission to accomplish while on earth.  Therefore, we are all missionaries if we are Christ followers.  In our scriptural passage for today, Jesus paints a picture of who the missionary is.  We are “salt.”  Jesus wants His followers to understand who they are as they live in this world.

            Salt, first of all, brings out flavor.  One might say it reveals that which was hidden before salt was added.  One of the characteristics that we must have as missionaries is that we reveal things about Jesus that people around us had not known before meeting us.  In other words, the goal is that people who didn’t know much about Jesus will know more and want more after being with us, His followers!

            The other use for salt, especially in Jesus’ day, was for preserving food.  Salt would prevent food from going bad so quickly.  Jesus had just finished saying, “blessed are the peace makers” (verse 9).  Missionaries are to prevent the bad things that can happen in relationships.  We are to be preservatives to relationships, helping them grow and continue in a healthy way.  Let’s be “salt.”

Father, I want to fulfill my role today as salt.  Help me bring the best out of people around me, for your glory!  In Jesus’ name, amen.