Being Salty

"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

This morning as I was riding into to work I began to think about what effective ministry looks like and how do you know if you are making a real difference. Let’s face it, we all want to know that our lives matter, that our contribution to the Kingdom of God is significant. We often land on the premise that we either believe our lives and ministry really do not matter or we sell ourselves short by being content in our current situation by not dreaming or trying anything different and new. Both are a trap from the enemy and not the real desire of our Lord. How many of you speak in front of hundreds of people telling them about God? Wait for it…Ok, none of you. How many of you pray for someone in your ministry or send an encouraging email, leave a prayer on an answer machine, share an idea, a verse or theological thought with someone? Of course you do that and so much more. I am finding that the more expressive or “upfront” ministries though they appear to be making the most impact aren’t as life changing as one would think. Jesus didn’t call us all to be public speakers, but He did call us to be salt.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love to speak, the bigger the audience the better I feel I am, but I believe I am most effective when I can add spiritual flavor, stop the spread of sin and spiritual disease, or simply drop a thought that when added with another thought can produce something amazing. We have no idea the impact we make for the Kingdom of God. We don’t see what nuggets we have dropped into someone’s heart or at least in their mind. Many times you share an idea and it cultivates into something life changing; other times, it falls on deaf ears only to resurface years later.

Jesus tells us that we are “the salt of the world” not loudspeaker, not the face, the celebrity, or rock star. We are to touch lives in such a way that it helps them. The people you encounter may never recognize your positive influence, they may never understand what your words did to save them from a horrible fall, or hear your prayers that shaped their effectiveness for the kingdom. So how can you put legs on this?

1.   Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the many ways He is adding His flavor and or killing sin in your life. He may even show you the people He uses.

2.   Recognize that your ministry is more effective than the results you may or may not see.

3.   Be intentional about adding affirmation, encouragement, or truth when you are with people.

4.   Be a feeder of God’s word so that you have flavorful “salt” to add to people.

5.   Make a list of the salt that has been “shaken” into your life, so you can in turn “shake” it into the lives of others.

I hope this post will stir your hearts and minds to the point that you begin to be more intentional in who you are called to be…the salt of the earth!