There is a fascinating story in the book of Genesis that occurred about 2,000 years B.C., before Moses, before the Ten Commandments, before anybody was even Jewish. It happened in the city of Sodom, which was part of a string of probably five cities in a very fertile valley on the edge of the Dead Sea.
Sodom became an extraordinarily immoral city, a city without a conscience, and a messenger leads Abraham to believe that God is going to sweep the city away. Abraham begins to bargain with God. As the story goes, God ultimately commits to Abraham that, if even ten righteous people can be found in that wicked city, God will not destroy it.
The reason God stalls is because, as long as there is the presence of righteousness, from God’s perspective it means there is hope. Apparently with God, a little righteousness goes a long way.
Do you know what this means? It means that, from God’s perspective, simply your presence in your company, your presence on that team, your presence in that neighborhood, in that industry, in that business, even in this country, matters. The fact that you’re there balances the rest of what may be happening all around you.
Your presence makes a bigger difference than you know. Let me tell you who you are, from God’s perspective: You are the salt of the whole earth. You are the preservative for this entire planet. Your presence makes a difference.
What if we woke up to that? What if Christians in America began to see themselves in a different light? What if we began to realize every day that we are the salt of the earth? Your presence is the preserving ingredient in wherever God has placed you, in whatever place you live, work, and play. Because a little bit of righteousness goes a long, long way.
