Week 15 Devo | Salt of the Earth

Every team has great teammates who bring out the best in each other. Every person has talents and gifts, and every person has flaws. The best teams bring out the gifts and talents of each teammate, and the best teams cover up for each other's flaws.

The best teammate I ever had was a guy named Dee. I played college basketball with Dee. When Dee was a freshman, he was younger than all of us, smaller, and slower than all of us. Our coach almost made him sit out and redshirt his freshman year, but he worked his way onto our roster.

Dee didn't play much our freshman year, but he was our hardest worker, and he made practice fun. He was always talking and always bringing energy and enthusiasm. He never stopped talking, in a positive way, in practice. He was always clapping, always cheering, and always encouraging us.

He brought out the best in all of us. We were a better team because he was in our locker room, and we were better people because he was in our life.

Dee was a living example of what it means to be the salt of the earth.

In chapter 5 of the book of Matthew, Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them what is called the famous Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus first gave them the Beatitudes, a vision for how we can keep living as Jesus calls us even when life is hard, and a reminder that our rewards will be worth the struggles when we live and work with faith.

He then said to them,

“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 underfoot.”

But what does this mean? The Salt Association is the trade association representing UK manufacturers of salt. They wrote, “Salt is one of the essential mineral components of a healthy diet, helping the body to perform vital functions,” and, “For thousands of years, salt has been used to preserve food and to improve taste.”

Salt is a natural preservative that has been used for 1,000s of years to preserve many different types of foods. Long before the invention of refrigerators, salt was used to keep food safe and fresh.

God’s Word has also been around for 1,000s of years, and when Christ tells us that we are the salt of the earth, He might have been saying that it is our responsibility to preserve the truth of God’s word and the Bible. Growing closer to God by reading the Bible and speaking to God in prayer are two of the best ways to get to know the truth of God so that you can preserve it. 

A good place to start is The Greatest Commandment. In Matthew 22:36, Jesus was asked, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"

Another place to start when trying to learn the truth of God’s word and the Bible are with the fruits of the spirit. In Matthew 7, Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets. You will know them by their fruits. A good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” In Galatians, it is written, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” 

My teammate Dee embodied all of those characteristics.

Salt is also a seasoning that brings flavor and brings out the best in food. In the same way, we are supposed to bring flavor and bring out the best in others. It starts with seeing the good in yourself, seeing the good in others, and seeing the good in every situation. God puts good in everybody, but everybody has their own flaws too. We get to choose the see the good or the bad in everything. When you are the salt of the earth, you search for the good and help bring the best out of people. You have the ability to bring the flavor out in others.

Finally, salt can make you thirsty. When people see you and the way you live your life, hopefully, it creates thirst and craving for God. When people see you, they should see something different in you and they should have a thirst for something that you have. They should see the love, joy, and peace that you live with and want some of that. They should see the impact of God in the way you talk, act, and interact with others.

When people see you, they should see something different, and they should want more of it.

Salt has over 14,000 other uses, and so do we. But if we can focus on persevering on God’s truth and bringing out the best in others, we will live a life where people thirst for more.

Preserve and share God’s truth by reading the Bible and through constant prayer with God. Bring out the best in the people you live, work, and play with. Influence people to want more Jesus, God, and the Bible because of the love, joy, and peace that you live with.

Be the salt of the earth. Be a blessing so that you can be a blessing. Make other people better just because you walk in the room or join the team.

Oh, and Dee went on to become the MVP of our team and had a very successful professional career.

THIS WEEK

1 - What can you do to learn more about God's Word so that you can help keep it, preserve it, and share it?

2 - What can you do to bring out the best in the people you live, work, and play with?

3 - How can you live life in a way that people will thirst more for the word of God?

For a Google doc version of this devo, click here: Salt of the Earth