READ: MATTHEW 5:13-16; PHILIPPIANS 2:13; COLOSSIANS 4:2-6

You’re groggy this morning, and you walk barefoot to the kitchen in that foggy, sleepy state. Once you arrive in the kitchen, you mindlessly and wordlessly prepare your oatmeal. Soon you sit down at the table and have the first taste of your handiwork.

Ugh. So bland. You add more sugar and try again. Still frown-worthy. You add still more sugar. Blech. You’re about to add even more sugar, when your mind clears and you realize, This needs salt, not sugar! You try a pinch of salt…and the oatmeal finally tastes good.

As Christians, it’s good to be reminded of how salt enhances the flavor of things. After all, we’re salt too! In Matthew 5:13, Jesus told His disciples they were “the salt of the earth.” What does that mean? Jesus went on to say they were also “the light of the world,” and then He said, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (verses 14-16). This applies to all Christians. We have a calling to season people’s lives with the flavor of God’s love. His love compels Him to help us, even to the point of dying on the cross for us. The way we treat others can help them get a glimpse of Jesus’s enormous love for them (Matthew 25:34-40).

How? By the power of the Holy Spirit in us, we can be attentive to the needs of people around us. Do you know someone who’s sick? Is there someone who feels left out at your school or church? Is one of your classmates or siblings struggling with schoolwork? As we encourage others and offer to help with what we can, we get to share the joy Jesus has brought into our lives, and invite them to experience His joy too. Without Jesus, life can be pretty bland and discouraging. So let’s shake some salt into someone’s life today! • A. W. Smith

• Can you think of a time someone seasoned your day with the salt of Jesus’s love? What did they do?

• Why is it important to remember that we love others because Jesus loved us first? That He loved us before we could do any good deeds? (Romans 5:6-8; Galatians 2:20-21; 1 John 4:19)

“You are the salt of the earth.” Matthew 5:13a (NIV)