Today’s devotion was written by our sister Shadia

Sometimes the Bible presents us with simple terms that have rich and profound meaning. Matthew 5:13 The Bible calls believers to be the salt and the light of the world. Thus I prefer looking at different versions of the Bible to understand the historical and cultural context of the words.

Matthew 5:13: In ancient times salt was often used as a preservative. Similarly, followers of Christ are to preserve both the gospel message and Christian values in the secular world. (Amplified Bible)

What does it mean to be the salt of the world?

Based on the above explanation I think that believers are called to continuously meditate and soak in the word of God.  “The words and promises of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times.” (Psalm 12: verse 6 NIV) The word of God is the only truth that we can believe in and will never change regardless of circumstances. If the word of God is not planted in our hearts, we lose our Christ like conduct and are unable to be God’s vessels or His reflection. (“… but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. (Psalm 1 verse 2 to 3 NIV)

What does it mean to be the light of the word?

The use of light is to be put on display and shine bright before others. As believers we are called to hide God’s word in our hearts so that we may not sin. (Psalm 119 verse 11) We need to let our light shine before men in such a way that they may see our good deeds and moral excellence and ultimately glorify our father who is in heaven,

Let’s continue to seek God’s word so that the peace of Christ may shine through our hearts allowing the love of Christ to season every aspect of our lives.

Amen.