I was visiting some believers in eastern Russia when I heard a speaker talk about salt and light. A friend was translating for me.

I knew a little about the speaker's life. She had trusted Christ as Savior while teaching at a university. Soon the school began to pressure her. Many of her fellow faculty members were avowed communists and atheists, and they turned against her. She was ridiculed, oppressed, and finally forced to resign her faculty position. It was a difficult time.

I was not surprised, therefore, when she linked Matthew 5:13 and 14 about salt and light with verses 11 and 12, which talk specifically about persecution. She told the group, "To whom are we to be salt and light if not to our oppressors? They are the ones who need it the most." She knew from experience what she was talking about.

She went on to make this point: The harsher the conditions and darker the surroundings, the deeper the need for the preserving salt and shining light of Christian witness.

We too can stand firmly for Christ even though we are surrounded by spiritual decay and people who are walking in darkness. Whatever our circumstances, we can trust Him for the courage to light up the darkness.  — David C. Egner