Salt and Light

June 25th, 2026
by Bruce Smith

“Your lives are like salt among the people. But if you, like salt, become bland, how can your 'saltiness’ be restored? Flavorless salt is good for nothing and will be thrown out and trampled on by others. “Your lives light up the world. Let others see your light from a distance, for how can you hide a city that stands on a hilltop? And who would light a lamp and then hide it in an obscure place? Instead, it’s placed where everyone in the house can benefit from its light. So don’t hide your light! Let it shine brightly before others, so that the commendable things you do will shine as light upon them, and then they will give their praise to your Father in heaven.”
-Matthew 5:13-16 (TPT)

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In his most remembered teachings, The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus drops the call on all his listeners to be salt and light in this world. The beatitudes, which precede these verses, talk about things we do to become better people. We change the way we think and act and our lives will be blessed, but Jesus shifts his focus in these verses about salt and light. Why do we need to change? Why do we need to receive these blessings from God? So that we can be a blessing to the world! The world is rotting in darkness and, left to itself, it will not stop decaying. God strategically placed us here to make a difference. He wants us to care for others beyond our own blessing. God’s message of love is for you, but it never stops with you. We must live and love in such a way that the world around us can’t help but open its eyes to the reality of God.

You want to know God? Great! You want to lead others to know God? Even better! You want to walk with God and lead others to walk with God so they will lead others to walk with God so they will lead others to walk with God? Awesome! Be salt and light! That’s what life is all about.