13/365 Called to be salty...

Jesus' followers are called to be salty,
BUT it is not "salty" as the word is sometimes used today. We are not to be rude or bitter or easily offended or anything resembling that kind of 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, Luke 14:34-35

Right before this Jesus had been talking about being His disciple and counting the cost to follow Him. What does salt have to do with that?

I did a little study this morning, and this is what I learned:
Jesus point was that when something loses its essential quality, or fails to perform the task it was created for, it is only fit to be thrown away. (Thank you Barclay and Morris) 

Those listening to Jesus were familiar with the three primary uses of salt in Palestine.

Salt was a preservative-without salt things went bad. Salt kept them fresh/usable.
Are we, as believers, living and preserving a lifestyle that is good? Or are we compromising, slowly decaying?

Salt was used for flavoring-to keep things from being bland.
What kind of "flavor" do we, as believers, add to the gatherings we attend? Are we doom and gloom, spouting a list of rules and regulations, do's and don'ts? Or do we live in joy, in celebration of the freedoms we have in Christ. 

Salt was used on the land to help things grow.
Do we do what we can to help others grow in Christ? Are we allowing God to cultivate our lives so they are accurate reflections of Him? 

True salt cannot lose its saltiness. But the salt in Palestine was not pure. It could lose its saltiness and when it did, it wasn't good for anything except to be trashed. 

As Jesus followers we are called to be salty-
to live and preserve a lifestyle that honors God and invite others to join us
to add flavor to life that draws people to Jesus
to make it easier, not harder for people to grow in Christ
brothers and sisters in Christ,
if we lose our saltiness we aren't good for anything except to be thrown out 
...so let's be Jesus salty