“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 underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
(Matthew 5:13-16)
Jesus teaches us through this passage how to be His witnesses in Singapore today. We must not blend into the community, but be used for our society’s needs by being salt and light. Our Christian faith is not just between us and God. Rather, we need to be relevant in the communities where we live.
Jesus uses familiar items from our daily lives to illustrate this. Both salt and light do not exist for themselves, but to serve others. Salt can be used as both a preservative as well as a taste enhancer. In fact, salt was a treasured commodity in olden times because of its usefulness. Light by its very nature is distinctive and attracts attention. This is why navigational beacons are placed on mountaintops and prominent land features, to maximise visibility from great distances so as to provide guidance in the dark.
Likewise, as disciples of Christ, we should not be afraid to stand out and enlighten the community we are in. Don’t be afraid to show the good that we do. We’re not doing this to make ourselves seen, but rather so that what we do can be seen. Each of us has a choice. We can either shroud our light and diminish our influence on culture today, or we can let our light shine bright, and interact with our culture while living in accordance with God’s teachings. Together, as a community of believers in Singapore, our individual lights can coalesce into a beacon of light!
Dear family, in light of what’s happening in our society today, my desire is for us to arise as the salt and light of our nation to assert a godly influence in our respective spheres of influence.
- Senior Pastor Nina Khong