Daily Bible Reading 30th October 2026 // Luke 14:34-35
34 “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35 It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
The other functions of salt - seasoning and fertilising - are equally significant in relation to Christian testimony. Just as, without salt, food can be insipid and tasteless, so the presence of true disciples in society acts as a very necessary conditioner. The sickness and boredom and frustration everywhere evident around us is due to the decline in spiritual values. It is the Christian message that brings life and meaning, vitality and flavour to life. History itself has shown the truth of this - the effect on society of spiritual awakening in the 18th and 19th centuries, not only spiritual, but material, were simply enormous, inspiring all manner of movements of social and cultural vitality.
The function of fertilisers in agriculture is to facilitate and promote the germination and growth of the seed that is sown; and a true Christian testimony is the likeliest thing to make a harvest of souls possible. Think of the influence of prayer in the work of the gospel! When times of refreshing come, it is ever those places where there has been faithful witness that know and experience the showers of blessing!
In view of all this, it is surely clear why Jesus uttered the solemn warning about the salt losing its savour - why, also, He stressed the need for true and total commitment in those who would be His disciples. Ah, there is a price to be paid for real effectiveness in spiritual life!