Matthew 5:13-16 - Bible Study Challenge Day 6

“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.  “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

John liked The Message version of part of verse 13 "You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth."

Question 1 - Why was salt so important when this was written?
(This one is all John!) Because salt preserved food.  All through history the availability of salt has been pivotal to civilization. The word "salary" comes from the Latin word for salt because the Roman Legions were sometimes paid in salt, which was quite literally worth its weight in gold. In Britain, the suffix "-wich" in a placename means it was once a source of salt, as in Sandwich and Norwich.

Question 2 - How will you let your light shine this week?
John said he is giving platelets and sharing his good health with others. I enjoy writing this blog and posting only uplifting things on Facebook. Another way we both let our light shine is at work. He works with college students and I work with seniors with memory care issues and we both have co-workers. I think the people we work with know us better than most people because we go through so much together and reveal our true selves to them. Our reactions to situations are key in showing who we really are and letting our light shine or not.

Question 3 - How can someone's seeing your Christian example help them to glorify Christ?
When we are open about our Christianity, there are others around us who may also be Christians, but are not as open with their faith. We give them the OK to act like a Christian, that they are not going to be belittled or persecuted for their beliefs. They are comfortable talking to us about faith and this may encourage us both to grow stronger and more bold in glorifying Christ.

Lord, thank you for making us salt to season and light to shine. Please help us to use our saltiness and light to glorify you. Amen.