13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” (Matthew 5:13, NIV)
Salt is used to preserve foods by drying them. When covered with salt, figs, dates, raisins, beans, and grains lose the moisture that would cause them to spoil and decay because of the rapid growth of bacteria. Jesus used this metaphor to remind his followers that their lives and influence were important to preserve a pure and just society. Jesus also warned his followers to not lose their Godly influence by following the world. This is still true today. The salt of the Holy Spirit helps us keep out the decay of sin that so easily seeps in.
Salt is also used to heighten flavors. Who wants corn on the cob without a little butter and salt? With Jesus at the forefront of our lives, we offer God’s flavor to the world. The fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – are so different from what the world offers; they are attractive to those who are so tired of bland living. We are to live our lives in such a way that others thirst for the salt they observe in our lives.
Salt is composed of two oppositely charged ions, sodium (Na+ )and chloride (Cl–). The sodium ion is responsible for several important processes in the human body. In this devotional, I am highlighting fluid balance and nerve and muscle function.
Fluid balance
Sodium attracts water, allowing the body to maintain the correct fluid levels within cells and tissues. Water is composed of two positively charged hydrogen ions and one negatively charged oxygen ion. The positively charged sodium ion in salt is attracted to the negatively charged oxygen ion of the water molecule. If a body cell contains too much salt, water will move into the body cell. Water always moves from areas of greater concentration to areas of lesser concentration. This is why people often retain water, and their ankles swell after eating salty food. Drinking more water to stop retaining water might sound like counterintuitive advice, but it is easier for the body to flush out excess salt and waste when hydrated.
Nerve and muscle function:
Sodium is essential for proper nerve and muscle signaling, ensuring they function correctly. The positively charged sodium ions interact with positively charged potassium ions. The diagram below illustrates how a stimulus enters a nerve cell through fingerlike projections called dendrites. When the nerve cell is at rest, the outside of the axon is positively charged, and the inside of the axon is negatively charged. As the nerve impulse (red arrow) enters the axon, sodium ions move into the axon, resulting in a reversal of charges. Now the outside of the axon is negatively charged, and the inside of the axon is positively charged. This reversal in charges energizes the nerve impulse as it travels down the axon. Behind the nerve impulse, potassium ions and sodium ions move out of the axon, returning that region of the axon to a resting state.
Once the nerve impulse reaches the presynaptic axon terminal, the electrical signal is converted into a chemical signal. Neurotransmitters are discharged from synaptic vesicles into the synaptic cleft, transmitting the signal to another neuron or a muscle cell.
If our eyes are attuned, everything we see in nature seems to point to a loving, omnipotent Creator. Many people look to looming mountains or a star-filled sky and marvel at God’s ability to attend to every detail. But small things – even the tiniest molecules of sodium – can also evoke wonder. Who knew that a grain of salt was designed to work with the cells of our bodies? And who could fathom that too much of something so tiny could throw everything off balance?
Every single part of our bodies was purposefully created with infinite care. God knew exactly what we would need, and precisely how much. Not only does Christ call us to preserve love and justice and offer the world a different way of living, but He also asks us to be mindful of everything entering our bodies. With the help of the Holy Spirit, may we remember to care for others and ourselves in ways both big and small.
12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2, NIV)
19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
(1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NIV)
https://www.tutorchase.com/notes/cie-a-level/biology/15-1-6-transmission-of-nerve-impulses
What Happens At The Synapse Between Two Neurons?
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made 
Thanks, Peggy, for your articles which are always so good and enlightening
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