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I will be the salt and light of the world.

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In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

[NIV]Matthew 5:16

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In the past, salt was very important. There was a time when people fought to get salt. They recognized the importance of salt.

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Today Jesus said, you are the salt of the earth. He is talking to us now. Why did Jesus tell us you are the salt of the earth?

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The salt preserves meat and fish. If there is no salt, the meat and fish will spoil.

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Salt makes dishes taste not flat. If the food is not properly salted, it is tasteless so we cannot eat it.

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It means, “those who are believe in God prevent this world from spoiling. The others commit sins but I am the salt of the world, and I will keep the word of God. If we live like this, we become the inspiration of other people. We prevent the spoiling of the world.

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Jesus talks continuously. “If the salt loses its saltiness, what is its use? It will be throw away.

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Useless salt thrown into the ground is no longer good for anything. It is trampled by men. The salt thrown into the ground is not anymore functional.

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In this way, if believers didn’t stop the spoiling of the world just as the salt, lost its taste the world may become filled with evil, and may not be able to have any influence on the people like the salt thrown into the ground.

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And Jesus told us we are the light of the world. What is meaning of this message?

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The light casts away darkness. A ship can sail through darkness because there is a light house.

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There is village on the mountain above, if a light on top of mountain cannot be hidden. It is conspicuous to the village. The light becomes prominent to everybody.

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And Jesus explains about the light. “A certain person turns on the lamp to shine in the room.”

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Nobody hides this lamp so that another person may not be able to see this lamp. This lamp is placed in a higher spot to make the room bright.

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Jesus said, those who are believers are the light of the world. This means, we who believe in Jesus, have a responsibility to make any bright and cast away the darkness in the world.

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Therefore, our friends you become a person of light and the salt of this world. Through you the whole world may become bright.