Stop the Decay
Are We Salty? – Part 2

Scripture Reading: Titus 2:11-14

Key Verse: Matthew 5:13

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

Yesterday’s devotional reminded us that it takes effort—intentional work—on our part to have a positive influence on the people around us. The key word is “positive,” because we all have some kind of influence on people, one way or another. Jesus’ followers were to be “salty,” having a positive influence for godliness.

In our culture, salt functions largely for our personal taste buds; it makes food taste better. However, in Jesus’ day, salt was largely used to prevent decay in food; salt was a preservative. Jesus came because of the moral decay that was happening in the world. There was no hope that on his own mankind was going to prevent the continual moral decay that was rapidly infesting man’s mind. Even in the book of Genesis we read: “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5).

When God sent Jesus, it was His final effort to save all who would believe from being corrupted in this world. When we accept Jesus, He cleanses us from sin and we are given the Holy Spirit to daily guide us away from the moral decay. As we walk in His righteous ways, we help prevent decay in our world. We may feel that we make a small difference, but God sees all the millions of believers being salt in this world, and we—together—are making a big difference. (Continued)

Father, I am so glad to have you in my life, helping me live better than I would without you. Help me to help others. In Jesus’ name, amen.