Encouragement from Angela Thomas: Living Your Life as Salt

Jesus proclaims with authority that the ones who follow Him are called to be the salt of the earth. Salt preserves and purifies but not inside the shaker. It only works after it has been rubbed into the food.

In the same way, to be effective you and I must be rubbed into a dying world –interacting, loving, and becoming right with God along with them. It’s a little scary, especially if we have become the church ladies who live inside the church bubble. Personally, I have to make a conscious effort to be rubbed into the world and meet people outside my Jesus circle.

Commissioned to Be Salty
Matthew 28:19-20 is called the Great Commission. Jesus instructs His followers to go. Go get yourselves rubbed into the lives of others so they will be able to taste the presence of God.

In Acts 1:8 Jesus instructs the disciples to begin in Jerusalem. That’s where they were at the time, their homes. If you aren’t sure where your saltiness is supposed to begin, start in your Jerusalem, your home. Begin with the people around you.

The Jesus told them to go into Judea and Samaria. That was the next circle out for them, their north and south. This circle includes neighbors, business relationships, and people we have the opportunity to meet.

And, finally, Jesus said to go to the ends of the earth. The ends of the earth for me is interacting with people outside my normal, everyday life. This includes people I have to make an effort to get to know because they matter to God. Sometimes I’m in this circle of influence trying to rub in salt when I am talking to strangers in my city. Sometimes I am literally at the ends of the earth in a foreign country.

Salt provides flavor. You can find yourself exactly where you are supposed to be, right place, right time, right people, and yet never give them anything that brings out the “God-flavor.” We usually keep quiet for a couple of reasons: We either (1) think we have nothing to say, or (2) we’re afraid.

Practice Being Salty
So here’s my best advice. Do you want to be salt? Do you want to flavor the world with God’s ideas, His love, and His compassion? Here are three ways to get busy and practice:

1. Start with people who are not threatening. Begin with your kids, your neighbor’s preschooler, or another non-threatening person. When you practice being “God-flavor,” you are pointing other people to God.
2. Trust God to take over and give you the words to say. Don’t let your fear of the situation keep you from being used.
3. Give a little salt at a time. Don’t go overboard and try to choke the person with salt.

Make Others Thirsty
Salt makes your thirsty. Do you make anyone thirsty for Jesus? Do you remind others of His presence, His work among us, and His calling toward Christlikeness? Do others see the person of God because they shared a life experience with you?

Salt is a common substance. Feeling kind of plain today? Then you are just the kind of woman God is looking for.

Want to read more from Angela? Check out her women's in-depth study,  Living Your Life as a Beautiful Offering!

Angela Thomas is the mother of four, a dynamic, transparent speaker, and a best-selling author. Her real-life, down-to-earth, biblically inspired teaching is for every girl of every age.