S – Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? ³⁵ It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” 

Luke 14:34–35 ESV

O – Commentary:

Salt … if it loses its flavor: Sodium chloride cannot actually lose its saltiness. Jesus might be speaking hypothetically (if salt were to lose), or he might be referring to a combination of minerals that included salt. The salt around the Dead Sea was a mixture of sodium chloride and other minerals. When the sodium chloride was removed, what was left behind was “salt” without saltiness.

14:35 good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile: Salt had various uses in the ancient world, including flavoring (14:34), preserving, and weed-killing. The sludge left after removing the sodium chloride was useless.

 New Living Translation Study Bible (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2008), Lk 14:34–35.

A – A little salt changes the flavor of food, breaks down ice, and preserves meat.  Salt is very versatile and has many uses as long as it keeps its composition including sodium chloride.  If that is removed, it is useless.  As Christians, what makes us different is the spirit of God living in us and operating through us.  If we don’t grow that relationship and use our God given gifts, our “saltiness” becomes stale.  Let’s commit to staying “salty” in our relationship with God.

R – Heavenly Father, you are God of all things.  Empower us to use our God given gifts and identity to share your love with others.  We want to grow our ability to do this with the help of your Holy Spirit. Thank you for blessing us today.