Salt Shaker Syndrome

Salt is a necessity in life and is a mineral that was used since ancient times in many cultures as a seasoning, a preservative, a disinfectant, a component of ceremonial offerings, and as a unit of exchange. The Bible contains numerous references to salt. In the Gospel, we are given a mandate to be salt of the earth. Jesus says in Matthew 5:13 - “You are the salt of the earth.”

One of the purpose of salt is to add flavor. Salt by itself is useless. It needs to be mixed with something else in order to demonstrate its purpose. E.g. Salt becomes useful only when it’s mixed with the curry. Likewise we become useful only when we flavor the world with the love of Christ.

We need to ask ourselves today whether we are living up to our role as the salt of the earth. Well, we can perform all our Christian duties i.e. - faithfully attend church, faithfully attend prayer meeting, live a holy life, and give towards mission and so on. But yet, we can keep ourselves within the four walls of the church. I call this “The Salt in the Salt Shaker” Syndrome”.

Instead of fulfilling our God given mandate to be salt of the earth, we live in comfort inside the Salt Shaker. From time to time, we are given some “nice shaking” through Sunday sermons and other form of messages. We lift up our hands in worship, we smile, we rejoice and we celebrate but all within the boundary of the “Salt Shaker”. Whenever we are encouraged and challenged to come out of the Salt Shaker, we give hundred and one reasons why we should stay inside the Salt Shaker and can’t come out of it. Sometimes we attend Mission Conference or Evangelistic meeting and we get ourselves “puffed up". But the “good feeling” only last for a friction of time and we go back into our comfort position inside the salt shaker and hide ourselves from the world.

Well I got some news for all of us today. Salt that refuse to come out of the salt shaker will eventually become harden and useless. Its ultimate purpose and existence will be wasted. So we must ask ourselves: Are we functioning as salt in our society? Are we adding flavor to this world with the love of Jesus Christ? In John 7:37, Jesus declared at the Feast, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink." It is the church's business to produce in the hearts of unbelievers the “taste” of salvation in the Lord. Psalms 34:8 says “O taste and see that the Lord is good”.

My prayer is that we would leave the comfort living inside the “Salt Shaker” and go out to fulfill the mandate given to us. Stop playing church. Start serving the Master today. Be the salt of the earth as Jesus commanded. It means getting out of your comfort zone and start adding flavors of the love of Christ in others.

Be Blessed.