August 1, 2024 Devo

Isn’t it amazing how salt can bring some foods to life? I have to confess that I’m not a big salt user, but there are some things that I love salt on. Like a slice of watermelon. Or when I’m eating a raw tomato. It seems to make the flavor of those things just POP for me. Some people like to use salt on pretty much EVERYTHING. But what if you gave your food a good sprinkle of salt, and it made no difference? You’d think, “There’s something wrong with this stuff.” And you’d probably toss it out.
That’s exactly what Jesus was getting at in our passage today. Salt had two primary uses in the first century. One was to season food like we do. The other was for preservation. It slowed down the rate of decay, so they used salt to make food last longer. But mostly it makes everything taste better.
That’s what Jesus says WE are to do. We are to add flavor to the world we are shaken into. Wherever we go, whatever we do, we are to bring the added flavors of God to the bland and often tasteless places we find ourselves. Let me give you a good example. I went in today for my annual check-up with my doctor. I had been singing along with my worship station as I drove there, so when I walked in the door, I guess I was still singing under my breath. The receptionist looked up at me as I checked in and asked, “So, how are you today?” “Fantastical!,” I responded. She smiled and said, “We could tell. We could hear you singing as you got out of the car. You can keep singing if you like!”
Fortunately for them, before I could belt out the next line of the song in my head, the nurse called me back. As she looked at my chart, she was impressed that I wasn’t on any kind of medication. “We don’t usually see that for a guy your age,” she said. I told her my wife and I feel blessed because we’ve both been in good health through the years. She told me she’s been in good health, too, ever since her battle with cancer 18 years ago. I said, “Wow, that must have been quite an ordeal.” She got quiet and said, “It was.” I smiled and said, “But you BEAT it!” and I held my hand up for her to give me a high-five. She laughed, slapped my hand, and said, “Yes, I did!” She told me her name was Rachel and that she was so happy she got to be my nurse today.
Smiles and joy. Concern and encouragement. Hope and love. These are all ingredients that Jesus gave to us that we get to sprinkle on others everywhere we go. And ANYONE can do it. Reread the passage for today. Go be salt and your world will taste better. That’s God’s Word for you today.