Matthew 5:13-16
Salt and Light
13 "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 by men.
14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 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. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Jesus teaches us that we will be salt-less and light-less disciples, if we do not follow the doctrines set out by God...Salt that loses its taste is no good and cannot be made salty again...Salt-less salt is no longer good for anything and flavors nothing...A light-less city on a hill is similar to salt that has no taste...If a city on a hill has no light, in the evening it cannot be seen...No one can see the town from a distant at night, and the people in the city at night cannot do anything without light...The city with no lights is like a city that is not there...Like the salt-less salt, a city without light is not good for very much...
For us to be good disciples and good Christians we must be good salt and spread the light...Good disciples lead by both word and deed... Disciples are to be the good light pointing others to the True Light...Even a little salt can bring out a better taste in even the best of meats and goods...We are not to do good deeds for gaining personal recognition...But we are to act and to help others in the name of God and praise Him...When we do act good and are charitable, we are to give the glory to God...
We are to spread the light of the gospel...We are His lamps and we are His light...Let His Word be seen and heard...We do not place lights in our house (or candles, in the ancient days) in corners and areas that did not light the room, or our house...Our lights are placed properly throughout our house, so they make it easier for us to see...This makes the light useful...Like the candle and light in our house, we must be useful disciples...We are not to neglect the gifts the LORD gives us, to do good to others, and praise the LORD, for His goodness...If we tell others about our faith, we need to do it in the glory of God...Let our light then shine before man, and give God credit, for what is His...
If we do not follow God's moral laws and Jesus' teachings we are not good disciples, we are like this salt-less salt, and the hidden light...To preserve our earth and world, we must be worthy disciples and spread the good news about God to others...