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Have you heard the saying – Is he worth his salt? Is she worth her salt? In ancient Rome, salt was a valuable commodity and some workers were paid a salary of sodium chloride, i.e. salt. When this question was asked it simply meant, Are they worth their salary?

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus declares, “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 under people’s feet. (Christian Standard Bible).

Salt was valuable to the ancient world because it was connected to purity and used as an offering in the Jewish sacrificial system. It was used as a preservative to keep meat from spoiling, also. As a Christ follower are you worth your salt? In other words, does your life show purity and holiness, or impurity and un-holiness? Are you living a life in which your testimony and words act as a preservative to the corrupt & perishing world?

If salt lost its saltiness (flavor), then it was useless and thrown outside on the ground and stepped on as people walked their path. In order to retain heat in the Palestinian outdoor ovens, a thick bed of salt was laid under a tile floor. When the salt eventually lost its ability to heat the tiles; it was useless and thrown into the street. Jesus teaches that His followers are His witnesses and if we lose our influence, then our testimony becomes ineffective and useless. Most salt pretty much looks the same but it doesn’t taste the same.  How many of us have the appearance of a Christ follower but do not have the influence? Some believers are Christian in name but not in action. Thus, they have lost their saltiness, their ability to influence others.    

Author J.R. Caldwell said, “I find that the greatest hindrance to the Gospel and the greatest hindrance to many precious truths taking effect in the hearts of unbelievers is the un-Christ like lives of those who profess the truth. Oh, give me, 100 people who are making it the business of their lives to be like and I will show you a place where there will be permanent blessing.”  I must ask myself on a daily basis, am I living a Christ like life? Am I a pure preservative in this impure and corrupt world?

The question for us to ponder: Are you worth your salt? A rather self-righteous church leader was attempting to impress upon a class of boys the importance of living the Christian life. “Why do people call me a Christian?” the man asked. After a moment’s pause, one youngster said, “Maybe it’s because they don’t know you.”  As followers and Disciples of Jesus, every aspect of our lives must be of the purest form as we point to His divine truth. And since we reside in a corrupt world and people everywhere are perishing spiritually, Jesus calls us to reach out as His instruments of preservation.

Call to Action: Allow the Holy Spirit to evaluate your life and then allow Him to cleanse you and fill you; so that, when your time comes to leave this earth, everyone will know that you were worth your sodium chloride.