I saw a chalkboard graphic on Pinterest and decided it would be the perfect recreation for my dining room chalkboard. “You are the salt of the earth”----“What did that mean,” I thought to myself. “When I blog about this, I should look up the scripture reference and talk about it.” Well, I kept feeling God’s slight urging today to really meditate on this, and to share my thoughts. I started back at the beginning of Matthew Chapter 5, The Sermon on the Mount, a phrase I had heard before, but was not even close to familiar with. I unpacked this sermon in “The Message” translation first because I was having a little trouble just truly grasping its power and application in my life (I included the HCSB version below it).
The Message Translation:
5 1-2 When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:3 “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.4 “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.5 “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.6 “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.7 “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.8 “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.9 “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.10 “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.11-12 “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.13 “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.14-16 “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
Holman Translation:
5 When He saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 Then[
a] He began to teach them, saying:3 “The poor in spirit are blessed,
for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.4 Those who mourn are blessed,
for they will be comforted.5 The gentle are blessed,
for they will inherit the earth.6 Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed,
for they will be filled.7 The merciful are blessed,
for they will be shown mercy.8 The pure in heart are blessed,
for they will see God.9 The peacemakers are blessed,
for they will be called sons of God.10 Those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed,
for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.11 “You are blessed when they insult and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me. 12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men.
And oh, how this spoke to me: in verse 1 and 2, the whole thing started by those committed to him following him. Sure it wasn’t easy; they had to climb a mountain for crying out loud! But the beautiful instruction they received as their reward is priceless, timeless, and a good reminder for me as Im focusing on a deeper relationship with the Lord. I need to stay committed to The Lord, even when the journey feels tough, because he has such sweet, helpful words for me, in efforts to deepen the relationship I have with him. I always catch myself thinking “I want a deeper relationship with the Lord”, and I know that means I need to be in the word, but to break it down even further, verse 1 tells me to: Be committed. Follow him. All the way up that mountain! J
Verse 3 (You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule
) comforts me when I feel like I’m just at my lowest of lows. God tells me that during these times I am being blessed! What awesome comfort is that!? It is also a great piece of practical advice for me when thinking about how I can share The Lord with others. When there is less of me, there is more of God. I remove the distraction (me & my prideful heart) and just let God work. And others see that. And that’s the overall purpose, here, right!?
Verse 5 (You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought
) speaks about contentment. In a season of my life where I’m doing a lot in the way of “making changes”, I feel that I need to be mindful of this verse even now, so that I am content with who I am at ALL times; after all, every day, I wake up exactly where and how The Lord meant me to be. And that’s just beautiful, no matter how my own sin and Satan want to spin it.
Another one is verse 6 (You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat
)– transforming my life to think of food as fuel, rather than my filler for every emotion begging for attention, is no easy feat at times. Have you ever taken a bite of something SO delicious that you were just confident that you wouldn’t be able to get enough, that you’d have to just eat the entire thing, and even then, you might still be sad it was gone? God tells us that when we have an appetite for HIM, he’ll be the best meal we’ll ever eat. And I’ve had a pretty good cupcake or three in my day – I am so craving a time where The Lord and the food and drink he provides my soul is better than any other food here on this earth has ever tasted.
Verse 8 (You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world
) was HUGE for me, and I’m starting to see the truth in this more and more clearly. When I have my heart and mind in the right place (set on things above *Col 3:2*), THEN I can see God in the outside world. I feel like when I have those days where I’ve let myself be drawn very near to God, I see his blessings all around me-all his gifts, answered prayers, blessings raining down... I don’t take those things for granted, and it leaves me with a grateful, full heart. I’d say that’s a much better feeling than any cupcake ever gave me.
Verse 10 (You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom
)--yeah. Who loves to be persecuted? Not this girl. But you know what God says? That same persecution that I dislike so much is what is driving me deeper into God’s kingdom (and by “driving me deeper”, I believe this is meaning “getting me closer to God relationally, growing me more in wisdom and knowledge of his will, etc”, not “bettering the chances I have of going to Heaven”. He’s already finished that battle FOR me)…Hey, Amen, and I’ll take it! Like I said, I really struggled with the intensity I felt to put my thoughts about this passage on the blog – territory I’ve never ventured into before. I was worried about judgment, persecution, loss of readers, etc. But the truth is, what is the point of this blog if it’s not God honoring? A waste of time, that’s what. And after reading this verse, it was like God smiling down on me telling me that I needed to just do it.
And finally, the verse that started it all, talking about how as believers we are the salt of the earth: Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men.” (HCSB)
The Message translation REALLLY breaks this down (although it reads a little silly, in my opinion; but hey, it makes sense now, at least!): You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.14-16 “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
WOW…no WONDER The Lord was prompting me to write down my thoughts on this in blog-world. It goes right along with what Matthew 5:13 is instructing of me. By opening up to others, it prompts others to open up to The Lord.
