‘You are the salt of the earth…’ Matthew 5:13 AMP
We keep trying to find happiness the wrong way. We attempt to find it by getting instead of giving. Love must give; it’s the nature of love to do so: ‘live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.’ (Ephesians 5:2 NIV) Note the words ‘gave Himself’ and ‘sacrifice’. Love is all about giving of yourself and sacrificing to meet the needs of others—practical needs as well as spiritual needs. Some of us are so religious that we don’t see value in meeting people’s everyday needs. Love for God is the root; love for others is the fruit, expressed through encouragement, patience, kindness, courtesy, humility, unselfishness, good temper, gentleness and sincerity (Galatians 5:22). We must actively look for ways to show love, especially in little things. Jesus said, ‘You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality)…it is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out.’ Salt is like love; it can heal, purify, preserve and enrich, but it’s useless if it’s kept in a shaker and not sprinkled around. The truth is that all of life is tasteless without love. Even acts of generosity done out of obligation [duty], but without love, leave us empty. Love is the energy of life; it should be the reason we get up every morning. Each day can be exciting and meaningful if we see ourselves as God’s agents, waiting in the shadows to sprinkle some salt on all the tasteless lives we encounter. So, get your shaker ready!
SoulFood: Heb 9:1–11:16, Mark 10:35–52, Ps 97, Pro 12:1–3
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©