Neal and I recently had lunch with our dear friends, Roger and Joyce Johnson. One thing I’ve noticed about them is they always have a good word to say about others. On this particular occasion, Roger described someone as “salt of the earth” and went on to list the character traits that made him such. I couldn’t help but think that we know many people who could be described that way (Roger and Joyce included).

What do you think of when you hear that someone is “salt of the earth”? I think of words like dependable, trustworthy, reliable, honest, humble, fair, true, and good. Someone who is full of integrity and committed to doing the right thing.

Jesus described the “blessed” with words like “meek,” “merciful,” “pure in heart,” and “peacemakers.” He then called them the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world” because others would see their “good deeds” and God would be glorified (Matt. 5:1-16). He was talking to His disciples. “You are the salt of the earth.”

A couple of millennia have gone by since Jesus said those words, urging His followers to stand out by way of good character and good deeds. How many have risen to that calling since then and still do today? We have no way of knowing, but if my own limited exposure is any indication, then there have been a great number! If I were tasked with listing names of “salt of the earth” people that I know, I could small-font fill a paper in no time.

The church is filled with people humbly doing their best to glorify God with their lives. They’re not perfect. They’re just striving to be the “blessed” that Jesus described. They are the salt of the earth, and we are blessed to know them!