Every morning, a tiny but perfect illustration of Kingdom fidelity that happens right here, in my house. As soon as I get up at 5, I put down food for my dogs. But when my daughter gets up, the true magic happens. My beloved Judah is typically in the room with me, lying at my feet, until he hears the sound… the microwave door closing. It’s like Pavlov’s law reenacted in real time—Judah doesn’t think he just responds: when he hears this sound, he goes bolting—it’s not negotiable; his response is perfectly conditioned, built on absolute trust in that sound. Judah knows his reward is here; he’s been holding himself all morning, waiting for this —it’s “potty break” time! In our Kingdom Principle journey today, Jesus speaks about the powerful conditioners that reveal the quality of our foundation: Fire and Salt. Fire is guaranteed, salt is optional, because salt is about covenant response.
“For every one will be seasoned with fire. Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you restore its flavor? Have salt in yourselves……
~Mark 9:50a
Authentic discipleship begins with inner seasoning!
Nobody volunteers for trials, but they shape everyone. But Jesus isn’t after outer appearance; instead, He wants inner transformation. Just before this, the disciples were arguing about who would be the ” greatest”. Jesus is recalibrating their understanding of greatness, purity, sacrifice, and service in this context. To Jesus, salt wasn’t seasoning in this context; it was symbolic of purity, permanence, and covenant loyalty. Jesus says salt is good… although, over the years, there have been many debates about that. The idea of having salt in ourselves means that whatever we’re facing is intended to reveal what’s inside of us… Just as that familiar click reveals Judah’s instinct, fire reveals what’s instinctive in us.
The requirement of salt isn’t just about Old Testament law; it’s about who we are when nobody’s watching. The truth is, the world isn’t starving for churchy images—it’s starving for transformed people. Can you bring the power? When you leave the room, is someone saying, ‘Now she/he was a breath of fresh air, I’d like what they’re having!” We don’t become salt just by quoting scripture; this is about character. That comes from intentionally surrendering daily as a living sacrifice. In this way, we intentionally allow God to pour His love into us daily, so we can pour it out to others who desperately need it.
We can’t pour into others if we ourselves have been absorbed into the image culture we live in, where everything is curated and filtered before being posted. Jesus wasn’t impressed with outward show. We’ll have to spend time on the altar, yep, that means dying to ourselves daily. A salty soul repents quickly, because it knows what’s inside will eventually leak out. It’s so easy to focus on platforms; public platforms mean nothing if private purity is missing. In a culture shaped by compromise, we can choose the easy road or do the work of having salt in ourselves, which means choosing conviction over convenience.
So let’s ask that difficult question now: “Do we have salt in ourselves?” We have to start with the truth as we reflect and examine ourselves. We can be honest with ourselves first: which areas are we struggling in, and where are we strong and fortified? We should begin this process with prayer. Blind spots don’t disappear by squinting harder; they need the flashlight of the Spirit. We realize the ones that carry the most influence for God’s kingdom sometimes aren’t the loudest: they’re the ones who live lives seasoned with grace, truth, and consistency. Saltiness is the believer’s quiet superpower— felt more than seen!
Time of Reflection:
** I’m going to choose to be more focused on being seasoned on the inside than I am on the outside.
** When I spot areas of my life that have been compromised, I choose to focus on and attend to the spiritual.
Heart-Probe Question
** If no one could see my public life , only my inner one, would they taste the salt of Christ’ character in me?
References:
Col 4:6
Rom 12:1-2
Matt 5:13, Mark 9:50a, Luke 14:34
2 Tim 2:21
Closing prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, help me have salt in myself, not outward behavior, but in inward transformation. In Jesus’ name.
