SALT OF THE EARTH
WEEK 10
When people cook, they use salt to season food. It makes it taste good and flavorful! Today's lesson will be all about salt and it's importance. The theme of today is about a very important question:
Can you use salt that has lost its saltiness to season food?
I would say you can, but what would be the point in using salt that does not season and does not give good taste to the food we are making? It loses its value. I would not need to keep that salt around because it is no use!
One day, Jesus was teaching his disciples and said, "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."
Matthew 5:13
Let's look at the qualities of salt
Salt can help our muscle function in some ways
Salt is naturally in some foods but is used to improve the flavor of food
Throughout history, salt has been used to preserve food and prevent growth of bacteria
Too much salt or not enough can affect our bodies in different ways
Look at this pretzel! It looks so yummy with that lovely salt on top.
So why would Jesus compare us to salt? Why do you have to be the salt of the earth?
Believing in Jesus, his act of love on the cross, and following him allows us to be different. We are labeled and should be through the work of the Holy Spirit different.
We are:
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Set apart
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A city on a hill
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God's people, his prized possession
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The light of the world
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The salt of the earth
Jesus, through his teachings, gave us examples of how to make the world not taste so bitter or bland.
reflection
Have you ever tasted a bland meal? It is not enjoyable! In the same way, we can be bitter and bland people who make life feel unenjoyable. Our Lord Jesus Christ IS enjoyable because he has compassion for people, he heals the sick, he corrects with love, he guides, he gives and protects. He died for a people who despised and rejected him. He did not come to condemn but to save. He is the true definition of being salty, flavorful, and filled with love.
Today, we say an expression "don't be salty" when a person is upset. But being salty in Christ means to show others true love, kindness, compassion, peace, and teaching of repentance. When we learn and believe in God's amazing story of love from the bible, we are equipped to be salt of the earth. We need to be careful because we can lose our saltiness and be of no use! We can become a bitter and unsavory society that hates, envies, destroys, disrespects their parents, and other dark things we see today. Let's think back to our cooking example. Simply cooking food does not give it flavor, it tastes good when you add salt! If we do not give the flavor in the world, then who will? If you have truth in your hands, should you not share it so others can be made new and flavourful too?
SO I ENCOURAGE YOU, BE SALTY!
This DIY salt shaker will remind us of our lesson today: To be salt! See if you can glue the verse on it somewhere...
