January 6 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

God's fools are the salt of the earth. The earth will never believe it and God's people can hardly be convinced of it, but the Creator of the earth has revealed it: all the preserving power on earth is stored in the little flock of God.

The salt metaphor spoke even louder to ancient people than it does to us. Long before freezers and refrigerators were invented, there was only one thing that could keep food from spoiling. And that one thing was salt. Only salt had the power to prevent spoiling and make the perishable imperishable. Therefore ancient people praised their God or gods for the gift of salt.

Now, when Christ says that his people are the salt of the earth, he means that God has appointed his people to hold back the decay and save what is being spoiled.

The Lord also spoke of the frightful possibility of the salt losing its taste. If that happens, it will not be because of the world's persecution. Only an inner deterioration of God's people could bring it about. When God's fools start tasting like "the world," when they think and act just like all their neighbors, they have lost the power to save. Why? Because anything can be flavored with salt except salt itself. When salt is not salt anymore, that is, when Christians no longer bear the imprint of God's kingdom, they are worthless themselves and the whole world is robbed of its hope. The saving power of the world is in the Church—as long as it remains the Church.

Christians are also the light of the world. If they were taken out of the world, it would be utter darkness. The knowledge of God would be gone.

We can hardly believe we are that important. All the saving power is in the little flock of God. That's why God keeps us in the world—to serve as a saving power. But if we aren't salt and light anymore, God has no use for us.

Reflections

What does it mean for you to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.