Good morning. Today were going to look at Matthew chapter 5. You've heard many good messages about the passage – far better than I can do. This is just a reminder of them. You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. Just how does salt taste? Well, it tastes – salty. It really doesn't have a taste of its own; it enhances the taste of the things you put it upon. And that is the way our lives should be. Our lives are supposed to add taste to those around us. We are to be a good influence on those around us. For some people though – there's not enough salt in the world to make them have a good taste. People should have a desire to have a life like ours. Salt doesn't try to make things taste good; it just does. It's not up to us to make the people around us to taste good. In fact we can't. We just have to be willing for God to "shake us" on those around us. How do we keep our saltiness – by staying in God's word and prayer. When we stay close to God, we stay salty. Too many Christians allow the people and the things of the world to bring them down - to lose their saltiness. What good does it do, they ask, to keep our saltiness? We aren't having an effect on those around us, they say. Remember it's not up to us to change them; we are just to be salty. What happens if we lose our saltiness – do not stay close to God and His word? We become tasteless - good for nothing. We become like those around us. They trample us underfoot. They even delight in doing that. Then we become like them, so that they won't trample us. Father help the reader to be the salt for those around him/her. Help him/her to influence those around him/her for You. Help him/her to make those around his/her taste good.

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