“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.”

Jesus doesn’t waste words. When He says something is “no longer good for anything,” it should make us pause.

Salt that’s lost its distinctiveness still looks like salt—it still sits in the shaker, still has the same shape—but it no longer carries its purpose. It doesn’t preserve. It doesn’t protect. It doesn’t do what it was made to do.

That’s the danger Jesus is warning us about: we can keep the appearance of faith while losing the influence of faith. It’s possible to look like a disciple but stop living like one—to be present in name but absent in power.

As we've already learned, in the ancient world, when salt became contaminated or diluted, it couldn’t be “fixed.” It was thrown on roads or rooftops to keep weeds down—still a substance, but stripped of its intended value.

If…then. If I lose my distinctiveness in Christ, then I lose my effectiveness for Christ. The tragedy isn’t that I stop existing—it’s that I stop influencing.

We were never called to be nominal Christians. We were called to be salt—sharp, distinct, preserving, and impactful in a world that’s breaking down. Don’t settle for the appearance of salt while forfeiting the assignment of salt.

Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal one way you’ve lost your distinctiveness—and take a step today to restore your effectiveness.

Lord, I don’t want to just look like salt; I want to live as salt. Keep me from compromise and from losing my edge. Restore my purpose, renew my distinctiveness, and let my life influence the world for Your kingdom. Amen.