Salty

These daily blog posts aren't going to be anything long or special. Just a few quick thoughts on a verse or a set of verses. It's up to you to read the rest of the chapter.
What to read: Matthew 5
Highlighted in this post: Matthew 5:13

Salt. It's in pretty much everything. Excellent for preservation and seasoning. Commonly found on the table of nearly every American family, right next to the pepper. For some reason, it's in the recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I haven't the faintest idea why.
The point is, it's common. Easy and fairly cheap to buy.
It also made Liverpool England's largest sea port due to Liverpool's proximity to the Cheshire salt mines, exporting much of the world's salt in the 19th century. Venice fought and won a war with Genoa over salt. Poland had a large kingdom in the 16th century because of its salt mines, but Germany brought in sea salt (considered superior to rock salt,) eventually destroying Poland's trade. The Roman empire gave their soldiers salarium, special money for buying salt to preserve their food (as opposed to the common belief that they were actually paid with salt.)
(Wikipedia rocks.)
Point is, salt wasn't always as common or cheap as it is now. In fact, it was downright expensive. People treasured it - it meant they could make their food last through hot summers and cold winters, ensuring survival. For salt to go bad would have been a stunning blow.

Matthew 5:13
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

At the time Jesus said this, salt was valuable. People would have seen the meaning of the metaphor. As salt, we can't afford to lose our saltiness. That saltiness is Jesus Himself. Without Him, we aren't worth anything. We aren't valuable, and we can't DO anything meaningful.
Sounds a little harsh maybe, but it's a fact.
How salty are you?