A Pinch of Salt
Most recipes have it. Practically every house has it. You find it in the names of some lakes, hotels, resorts and restaurants. Every part of the world you travel, you will find it. It is used in treating certain pains, sores and wounds. I am talking about nothing else but salt. The one seasoning everyone knows about.
In Matthew 5:13, Jesus likened believers to salt. He said “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” Have you noticed that when baking or preparing any meal, it is just a pinch of salt that is recommended? A pinch of salt goes a long way in enhancing the taste of any dish by taking out any bland or bitter taste that may exist. Just like a pinch of salt makes a big difference when cooking, one believer living for God and serving God wholeheartedly can make a big difference in a family, church and nation.
Joseph was the ‘pinch of salt’ that added flavor to Potiphar’s house and business. “So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house, and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field.” (Genesis 39:5). Salt is a flavor. Flavors improve the taste of things. When Joseph came into Potiphar’s house, he certainly improved the way things had been for Potiphar. Joseph enriched Potiphar’s life by adding the blessing of God to everything that belonged to Potiphar. Who doesn’t need this kind of flavor in their life, home, business and ministry?
Salt preserves food. Joseph was a preservative agent in the hands of God. “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” (Genesis 50:20). Joseph’s brothers meant to harm him when they sold him as a slave to Egypt. God had a better plan. It was to preserve many lives during a time of famine. Joseph became a person of great value to his family, to the Egyptians, to those outside Egypt, to the young as well as to the old. In the same way, salt is of great value to people of different nationalities and is useful both to young and old people.
2023 is a year for us to truly start living as the salt of the earth. It is a year to be used by God to take away the bitterness in our world, not be a part of the bitterness or be the ones inflicting bitterness on people. Our words can add flavor or bitterness. Our words can wound deeply as any sword or they can comfort, strengthen and bring healing (Proverbs 12:18). Colossians 4:6 says “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” This year, let’s aim for conversations that bless and impact people positively. In 2023, God is looking for those who will uphold the principles of righteousness, live for God’s glory and stand in the gap in prayer for our families and nation so God can say like he said to Abraham, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten” (Genesis 18:32). This year may God be able to say I will not destroy this nation for the sake of ten or less believers who are the ‘pinch of salt’; who haven’t lost their flavor, who haven’t compromised on godly standards, and are enhancing, improving and adding value to others.
Be the pinch of salt the world needs today.
PHOTO CREDIT: Pixabay
