Salt has always been given a bad report for being overused. I was always taught that “too much salt” is not good for your health. However, I was curious to see what, if any, were the benefits of this mineral.

After doing my research, I discovered that It is the sodium (ions) present in salt that the body requires to perform a variety of essential functions. Salt helps maintain the fluid in our blood cells and is used to transmit information in our nerves and muscles. It’s also used in the uptake of certain nutrients from our small intestines. The body cannot make salt and so we are reliant on food to ensure that we get the required intake. To sum it up, salt has ingredients that make it beneficial.

In Matthew 5:13, Jesus told His disciples that they were the “salt of the earth”. We are the salt of the earth. Our job is to influence and enhance the lives of others. We were chosen and created for a purpose. That purpose was to “unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth” (Ephesians 1:10). God is looking for Christians to preserve His name and win others to Christ. When salt is poured onto food, it enhances the flavor. It causes a change which increases our desire to taste the food.

Jesus also explained that when salt loses its taste, it is no longer good for anything. It becomes worthless and must be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. It has lost its influence. How do we as believers lose our “taste”? When we try to mix with the world, we become useless. It’s not enough to just profess to be a Christian. Our lifestyles must change. Jesus is not referring to good deeds that we do, but rather a good character that is displayed. He describes these characteristics in the preceding verses of Matthew 5:13.

Today, my challenge to you is to make a greater effort to become like salt. God wants us to live our lives in such a way that it will cause others to become more and more like Jesus. How do you plan to be like salt?