With a Subtitle: Genesis 18:32 challenges believers to live as righteous witnesses in a corrupt and needy world
A brief Excerpt: We see from Genesis the mercy of God and the importance of righteous lives in dark places. Christians need to consider whether they are making a spiritual difference in their town, pointing others to God’s love before judgment comes.
Scripture
Our verse for today comes from Genesis 18:32, “And He said, ‘I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.'”
Background
When we look back at the early history of man’s time on earth, we don’t see a very pretty picture, do we? Adam and Eve started off in the one and only perfect setup, only to blow it before the proverbial paint was dry. Then their first son, the third person on earth, murders his younger brother. God then spares us some details for a while before showing us how bad things were by wiping out everyone but Noah with the flood. Some time passes, and the folks want to settle down and show how great they are at Babel, so God has to scatter them this time, rather than destroy them. And next in the headlines are the infamous towns of Sodom and Gomorrah. We pick them up as Abraham is pleading with God to spare the cities if there are but a few righteous people living there. When he finally asks for ten, we learn that God had planned all along to be very merciful to the city for the sake of a few. But it turns out that there were still too few to save Sodom. Lot and his family could not tally ten righteous people from the entire city.
Application
Now imagine if you lived in Sodom back then. Would you be that tenth person? Could you be one of the few that Abraham was thinking of when he stood up for your town, perhaps the very one that would make the difference and spare them from God’s wrath? When God looks into your heart, past the fancy accomplishments and expensive tokens that you have accumulated through succeeding in society’s system, would He see Himself? Would He see what He intended you to be? And that’s all He really wants to see, isn’t it? He doesn’t want us to dress Him up, or improve Him, or make Him more presentable or more relevant to our friends and coworkers. He simply wants to see a bunch of little Christs doing all they can for those that have fire and brimstone waiting for them. He wants to see His followers doing whatever possible to make sure there’s no one here for the fireworks. He wants to see you making a difference.
Charge
As we seek Him today, consider how God views your town and what you are doing to save it on His behalf. Look at everyone around you as God’s creation, needing the love that He has placed in your heart. Ask God to help you give that love away.
Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words
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