Today’s Daily Lesson comes from Matthew 5 verses 11 through 16:
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden.15No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
We cannot shrink back from our call to be salt and light. The earth needs our saltiness. The night needs our lamplight.
Yes, opposition comes. This is not what we would wish for. We do not see ourselves as people to be opposed. In our minds, we are not controversial; for love and justice do not seem controversial. But darkness hates light. Darkness reviles light. We have to accept this. The prophets who came before us were reviled also. We do not see ourselves as prophets, nor sons and daughters of prophets. We are not interested in being called prophets. What we are interested in is being true to ourselves.
Salt must be salt; it’s job is to preserve the earth. Light must be light; and it’s purpose is to enable the world to see.
We are salt. We are light. And blessed are we when we are what we are — even when others oppose it.
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