Enough
Genesis 18:32 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?”He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”
Just how important is the righteous life we choose in Christ? It may seem that it’s about us and our little realm or sphere, and of course it is, but there is something much greater going on that is of significance in the kingdom of God, that is a big part of how He is moving in the earth. When our choice is to believe in Him and follow in His way, we’re clothed in righteousness and included in the number of those that are in His care. It’s true that our Father is so concerned about the one lost sheep that He’ll leave the whole flock to find it, but the purpose of His search isn’t to just locate where it is somewhere out there. His purpose in finding the lost one is to bring him/her back to the fold, where they can be included with the flock and those that are under His care. There is an importance He places upon how many have been added to the flock, for somehow, with each addition, a strength is gained that only that individual can bring.
With Noah and with Lot, the dominance of sin had taken over to the point that preserving the righteous required the elimination of the sinful . Especially in Lot’s case it is very clear that just a few more additions to the ranks of the righteous would have made a difference and possibly provided for the preservation of all that were in Sodom and Gamorra. To have been among ten that might have been found there would have been a very significant thing, and how many of those living there had been given the opportunity to choose right, but had become bound to the choice of sin?
When Elijah, on the other hand, thought that he was alone and was the last of a much endangered group of prophets, God let him know that there were still 7,000 men who had not bowed their knee to the image of Baal. (Romans 11:3-4) To live in the righteousness that is ours in Christ is to be numbered with those who are playing significant roles in God’s kingdom purpose on this earth. Each choice for what is right is an injection of Christ-life into the part of this world that we get to touch. It’s an inclusion of salt into our realm that is so very necessary for the preservation and salvation of so many that God is desiring to also bring into the fold.
To stand for the right and resist the temptation to bow to the demands of the flesh and the world around us is to gain not only the protection and security we need, but to bring great hope and potential to the world around us as our embraced righteousness in Christ becomes a part of an enormous movement that is His plan and His purpose. In our home, community, region, nation and world our number among the righteous is a very important one that will determine the outcome of other potential additions to our fellowship of redeemed ones. When the critical count is taken may our life be among those that are more than the necessary amount and may our victory be a part of the ultimate triumph of Christ.
