It is obvious that God did not remove Himself from the world when Adam and Eve turned away from Him. It is obvious that He did not remove Himself from the world when Noah’s generation totally forgot about Him. It is obvious that He continued to be a part of the nation of Israel when His chosen people so often left Him. God longs to be a part of His creation. The tragedy is that His creation often does not want to be a part of God and His holiness.
God’s eternal plan was to establish the church. What might not be immediately obvious is that from the time sin entered the world His plan was to ultimately find its perfection in the coming of Jesus and the establishment of the church. Paul describes it using these words, “That in the…fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ” (Eph. 1:10). Both Jew and Gentile were to be reconciled “to God in one body through the cross” (Eph. 2:16). His plan was to establish His one body and that body is the church (Eph. 1:22-23).
God’s eternal plan was for the church to reveal Him to all mankind. The beauty of this plan is seen in the Sermon on the Mount. In the beginning of the Savior’s work, He talked about the attitude His followers should have. They were to be poor in spirit, to be meek, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to be merciful, to be pure in heart and to be peacemakers. When those who followed Him had embraced these beatitudes, they would become the salt of the earth and the light in His world.
God’s eternal plan was for you to reveal Him by being the salt of the earth and the light of the world. This is where each of us must realize that while we might think our lives do not matter, God does not see it that way! He never removed Himself from the world, and He has no intention of removing Himself today. The only way this plan could fail is for us to remove ourselves from the world. We must not let Him down!
God’s plan is powerful, for both salt and light are powerful. Salt seems so small and so insignificant, but food without salt is “tasteless.” Even the smallest light means so much in the midnight darkness. Hidden lights placed under a bushel are worthless, and salt “…if it loses its flavor is…good for nothing” (Matt. 5:13).
Is God’s plan working in America today? That depends on you! Think about this. What if every Christian in this land were exactly like you in the way you are seasoning and lighting the world? God longs to be a part of this great land, and His eternal plan to be a part of it includes each of us. God help us to be His salt and His lights!