The Leech

Bible Reading: Matthew 5:10-16; Colossians 4:2-6

Brielle and Zane came laughing and splashing out of the water and onto the beach near their family cabin. The cool water had felt wonderful on such a warm day, but as Brielle began toweling off, she suddenly stopped laughing. She shrieked in horror and pointed at her ankle.

Mom came running over. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

Brielle pointed at her ankle again and began to cry. “What is that? Get it off!”

“Calm down, honey,” said Mom. “It’s just a leech. We’ll take care of it. Zane, go into the cabin and get the salt shaker.”

Zane headed off for the salt while Brielle continued to cry. Soon he was back and handed the salt shaker to Mom. “Watch this,” she said and poured salt on the leech. Immediately the slimy little black blob curled up into a ball and fell to the sand. “There. All better. That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Brielle sniffed. “How did you know salt would make it let go, Mom?”

“It’s an old trick I learned as a kid,” said Mom. “When you live near a lake, you learn how to take care of leeches.” She grinned. “And strange as it may seem, one of the most memorable Sunday school lessons I had as a kid was about salt and leeches. It’s one I’ve never forgotten.”

“What lesson was that?” Brielle asked.

“My teacher was explaining a verse in the Bible that talks about Christians being the salt of the earth,” Mom said. “She said the power of sin is like a slimy black leech clinging to people and sucking the life out of them, and we’re like the salt that will help release those people from the sin that’s stuck to them.”

“But only Jesus can really release them from sin, right?” asked Zane.

Mom nodded. “That’s right. They can only be saved from sin and released from its power by trusting in Jesus, but to do that, they need to know who Jesus is and what He’s done for them. That’s where we come in. Jesus wants us to be like salt by pointing people to Him through our words and actions.” – Kelly M. Schaefer

How About You?

Are there people in your life who don’t know they can be set free from the grip of sin? Have they seen God’s love in your life by what you do and say? Have you told them about Jesus and His gift of salvation? As the salt of the earth, Christians need to share God’s message—that Jesus sets sinners free from the grip of sin. Who can you tell today?

Today’s Key Verse: Matthew 5:13 You are the salt of the earth.

Today’s Key Thought:

Be a salty Christian