Day 4

God has us focusing on “salt” and “light” this week as we examine Matthew 5:13–16. The question that some ask is, “Can salt go bad?" The answer is both yes and no. Natural salts without any additives can never go bad. Salts have existed for a long time and were used to preserve food in ancient times. So, we know salt can prevent bacterial gro...

Being “salty” means that our life should be lived so that we add something good to people’s lives. Jesus said, “if the salt has become tasteless… It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.” Jesus knows that if we compromise our belief in Him and His Word and if we begin to question the authority...

Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world.” We know Jesus has already described us as “salt,” and now He tells us we’re “light.” Let’s examine what light does or maybe better said, what the benefits of light are. First, light is the sole source of food generation for all living organisms. In biology, photosynthesis is th...

In Matthew 5:14, Jesus also said, “A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” What a great illustration for us to take to heart. Jesus is stating the obvious—cities setting high atop a hill can be seen from miles away. At night, when all the buildings of that city are shining brightly, the lights dispel the darkness, and everyone knows exactly w...

Jesus continues to use examples of how lights are used so that we do not miss the purpose He has for us. Remember that God teaches us in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” All of us have been given “good works” to do each day for Go...

Jesus said this in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” So, we know we are light because Christ lives in us, and He is Light. Jesus makes it clear how to shine our light brightly. We are to do the good works God has for us to do. As people wa...

As we know, we are “salt” and “light” because our Lord Jesus Christ lives in us (1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 Corinthians 6:19–20). Therefore, as we have been taught this entire week, our Lord expects us to BE “salt” and “light” to everyone around us. In the devotion from yesterday, we examined that we shine the light of our Lord through the way we ...