Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth.” He did not say, “You might be salt, I hope you are salt, or one day you will be salt.” He said, “You are the salt.” You have the power of God at work within you, so get on with being salt. Live, work, and love in such a Christ-like way that you are able to change things around you. Go pour yourself out and participate with God in ministry to the world. I know that salt has negative connotations; it is not good for your heart or your blood pressure, and in today’s health conscious and politically correct world, maybe Jesus might have to change his metaphor. But somehow hearing Jesus say, “You are the yogurt of the earth, or the oat bran of the earth or the broccoli of the earth” just doesn’t seem to have the same ring to it. So salt it is. In ancient days, salt was a precious commodity. Working people and soldiers in ancient Greece and Rome were paid their wages in salt, and that is where the term “worth your salt” comes from. Are you fulfilling God’s purpose for your life? Are you worth your salt as a Christian? Jesus said that salt that had lost its saltiness (not fulfilling their purpose) is good for nothing but to be thrown out. Jesus is issuing a challenge and a warning to us. You are salt. Pour yourself out for Christ and others today. Be salt.
– Dr. Tim Thompson