Your Salt and Light

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16

Spiritual corruption and pollution blacken the American soul. The blight of godlessness strikes big and small towns alike; infects both farms and factories; and sweeps across lower, middle, and upper classes.

One response is anger. God’s people should be aroused by injustice and unrighteousness but should not be surprised by it. A glance of history exposes the relentless press of evil. We must be careful that our actions are not discolored by our anger. We can do the right thing with the wrong motivation and in the process lose our sense of God’s purpose and presence.

Another reaction is indifference. “What can I do?” is the cry of a common man. Apathy and self-absorption are bedfellows of this train of thought, both sternly rebuked in the Scriptures. You can do what the apostle Paul prescribed in his epistle to the Romans: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21).

Christians should not fight fire with fire, but seek to bring God’s warmth and light through the good works He equips us for. Do you see a situation that after prayer and counsel you feel compelled to address? Then ask God how you may go about doing good in Christ’s name. In so doing, you will overcome evil with God’s good.

“All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” -Edmund Burke