2月20日

標　　題： 你們是鹽

經　　節： 你們是世上的鹽。鹽若失了味，怎能叫它再鹹呢？以後無用，不過丟在外面，被人踐踏了。（馬太福音五章13節）

神的百姓是祂的當然代理人，管理這個被罪腐化的墮落世界。神的計畫是委託你造福人群，並且持守正直。當今的時代，參與社會是敬虔生活中非常重要的一環。神與你同在，使得其他人也能得著祂。祂的救恩可以釋放有不良癖好的人、恢復破碎的家庭、醫治過去的傷痛、重建剛愎任性的孩子，以及安慰絕望的人。只要願意讓基督藉著你彰顯祂的生命，這所有的一切都可能發生在你周圍朋友的身上。如果我們與主沒有正確的關係，耶穌說我們就像失了味的鹽，一點用處也沒有。如此一來，神給予的恩典與大能，就不能藉著我們傳播給其他的人。我們如何檢驗自己的生命「鹹性」仍在？看看我們的家庭。我們是否保護家庭不受外界有害的影響？檢驗我們工作場所。工作環境是否因我們的緣故，而遏止一些罪惡的影響？觀察我們的社區。是否因為我們的參與，使社區變得更好？我們的教會又是如何？我們被神使用，以至於周遭的屬靈事物變得更好。這就是我們作鹽的證據。如果周遭的人靈性墮落或退步，我們就該到神面前尋求，容許神調整我們的生活，好叫我們能「有味」。

You Are Salt

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. (Matthew 5:13)

God’s people are His preserving agents for a world that is corrupted and degenerating because of sin. Your life is designed and commissioned by God to enhance a community and to preserve what is good and right. There is deep significance today for a godly life that is involved in its community. The presence of Christ in you makes all that He is available to others. His salvation can free an addict, mend a broken home, heal the pain of the past, restore a wayward child, and comfort a grieving heart. All of this is available to those around you as Christ expresses His life through you.

If we are not in a right relationship with our Lord, however, Jesus said we are like salt that has lost its saltiness and is, therefore, good for nothing. None of God’s saving grace and power can be dispensed through us to others. How do we test the “saltiness” of our life? Look at our family. Are we preserving it from the destructive influences that surround it? Examine our workplace. Are the sinful influences in our work environment being halted because we are there? Observe our community. Is it a better place because we are involved in it? What about our church? The evidence that we have been used by God as a preserving agent is that things are becoming spiritually better around us instead of worse. If people around us are deteriorating spiritually, we need to go to our Lord and allow Him to adjust our lives so that we can be used to preserve others.