Stand Out and Shine Brightly in this World

Jesus uses salt and light to explain the worldly position you now enjoy as one of His followers. First, He describes you as salt. Salt is a very special mineral. It adds flavor to our food and also acts as a preservative. When you choose to follow Christ, you add flavor to the world around you. You also help to preserve it with the love, joy, and peace of Christ. However, if you claim to place your faith in Christ but refuse to live for Him, you become like tasteless salt. Worthless. You’ll end up getting caught up in the chaos of the world with no hope of ever making a difference for the kingdom.

Jesus’ Word makes it very clear in that He has made you to stand out and shine brightly in this world. (See Matthew 5:16.) By following Christ, you will stand out. You will do good as easily and as naturally as you breathe, and the people around you will see the light of love that comes from you and may turn to the Lord. Faith in Christ results in acts of love towards others.

We are not to spend the Lord’s gift of salvation on ourselves but rather to invest that gift in good works to help others see the love and the goodness of God in this dark world. Many people are quick to react to the horrors of this world by screaming, “Where is God? How could He allow this to happen?” Those people forget that, without the Lord, this world would be absent of salt and light, the ingredients necessary to preserve and sustain life. That’s why Jesus calls His children the “salt” and “light” of this world. Without His children walking obediently on this earth, darkness quickly takes over.