THE UPPER ROOM DAILY DEVOTIONAL 17 JULY 2024, WEDNESDAY MESSAGE
TOPIC: The Power of Salt
TODAY’S READING
Matthew 5:1-16
You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? – Matthew 5:13 (NRSVUE)
TODAY’S MESSAGE
My wife was away leading a retreat, and I was at home alone. I decided to cook myself a fairly simple meal with what we had on hand: chicken, rice, some spices — a lot of spices, actually. As I smelled it cooking, I just knew that it was going to be delicious. I spooned the meal into a bowl, took a bite, and it was one of the blandest things I had ever tasted. Maybe I should have used more spices? Then it occurred to me that I hadn’t used any salt. I shook just a little bit in, mixed it all together, and tried another bite. That second bite exploded with flavor!
Salt has a flavor of its own, but what makes salt so special is how it amplifies the other flavors of our food. A little bit of salt can bring out flavors that otherwise we would miss.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told the crowd, “You are the salt of the earth.” Being salt means that we are called to amplify what God is doing in the world. We each have our own flavor — our own unique personality, calling, and ministries. But what makes us salt is our ability to find out what God is doing in our communities and enhance it.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Almighty God, you call us to be salt. Help us to see you at work in this world, and guide us to be a part of your work. In Christ’s name. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Where can I see God at work in my community, and how can I join God’s work?
PRAYER FOCUS
Those involved in local missions
The Upper Room Daily Devotional 17 July 2024 Message. The Upper Room is a daily devotional magazine published in more than 30 languages and 100 countries around the world. The daily meditations are written by readers of the magazine and others interested in sharing their faith experiences through writing—both laity and clergy, published authors and new writers. The meditations are stories of real people working to live faithfully with the Bible as their touchstone. Every day, readers of The Upper Room around the world read the same story in many different languages and pray the same prayer together. Read More