On Being Salt and Light

Followers of Jesus are called by Jesus himself to be both salt and light. Without His followers in the world, the world would be completely dark. There would be nothing but despair, loneliness, darkness and evil. Jesus prayed for his followers on the night before he was executed. He knew what we would face; He knew it would be difficult. He knew that if we do stand for truth, if we refuse to compromise, then the world would hate us. This has always been the case; it is one of the most difficult things we face.

The challenge for all of Jesus' followers is to stand for the truth of God's Word even when it's unpopular and in the midst of the hate that always appears when the Truth is proclaimed. We live in the world. We have friends who don't understand who Jesus is nor what the Bible says. For the vast majority the Bible is simply literature at best, and irrelevant at worst. To say that it is infallible and inspired directly by God is to elicit disgust from those who disagree. To say that it is the truth, not a truth, is to be accused of narrow mindedness. When this happens, we are all tempted to just let it go. Go ahead and just go along, so that you can get along with those in the world. Jesus knew of this temptation. That is why He prayed for us that we would be protected.

When we compromise in the midst of such pressure, we are no longer salt and light in the world. And if the salt and light are gone, where is the hope? Where is the love? If the salt loses its saltiness, how can anyone taste it? If the light is hidden, how can anyone see in the darkness?

I know I feel the pressure to simply compromise. It's the path of least resistance and it is a wide and easy path to travel. But it is not the faithful path nor the journey that God calls us to take. The word used to describe right belief and right behavior is orthodoxy. Orthodoxy is under assault in our world today. The reason is simple, if we walk away from right belief and right behavior, the world will not know who God is. The world will not know that Jesus has come to set us free from the despair of sin and the pain of eternal death.

This assault on orthodoxy is being pushed by forces we cannot see. The battle is spiritual. The forces of evil are coordinated and active. Yet God has called forth His own people to stand in the midst of the darkness to be salt and light. It's a difficult challenge. Indeed Jesus said count the costs before taking this journey. It is not easy and it is dangerous. But never forget, He not only prayed for us that we would be safe, He continues to intercede to our Heavenly Father for our protection and success. With that in mind, do not waver. The world would be too dark without us.

I recommend you read and reflect on the prayer Jesus prayed on that night before He knew He would be executed. You'll find it in John 17: 1-26.