We seemed to have survived another Presidential election process.  Now we wait to discover the impact. Already reaction is mounting up via social media.  One thing is certain; the moral compass of our country continues to drift downward, and no political scheme is going to reverse the situation.

The Lord brought to my mind a remarkably simple but profound strategy to counter the decay and darkness.  It requires only two elements.  He articulated them in what we know as the sermon on the mount.

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.  Matthew 5:13

The qualities of salt are a deterrent to decadence. Simultaneously salt enhances taste and thirst.  One of the earliest symptoms of Parkinson’s is the diminishing of the sense of smell.  The loss of smell results in a subsequent loss of taste. Occasionally I mention to Patty that something that I am eating tastes like I am chewing paper. It is tasteless. 

As salt of the earth we can create a thirst for what we have in Jesus if indeed we demonstrate His indwelling presence.  From what I understand about salt, the way it loses its saltiness is by being compromised by its environment (toxic matter, over exposure, etc.)  God forbid that we become tasteless by compromise with the world. 
Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.  1 John 2:15-16

Jesus went on to say, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Matthew 5:14-15

The only remedy to darkness is light.  On the other hand, the only thing necessary for darkness to prevail is the absence of light. So, who really determines the prevalence of darkness or absence of light in our American way of life?  We cannot just blame politicians.

But didn’t Jesus say that He was the light of the world?  (John 9:5).  He prefaced His declaration of being the light of the world with these words: While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”  So, what occurred when He was no longer in the world?  We can understand it by observing the difference between the light of the sun and the light of the moon.  The sun is the source of light.  The moon has no light of its own.  It simply reflects the light of the sun.  Jesus is constantly the light of the world.  Following His resurrection, He commissioned His followers to be a myriad of reflections of His light with the objective that is articulated in verse sixteen. 
"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.  Matthew 5:1

As we function as the salt and light of the world we manifest the testimony of Psalm 34:8
O taste (salt) and see (light) that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

-Jay Letey