Society’s Assets

Proverbs 11:10-11

Upright citizens are good for a city and make it prosper, but the talk of the wicked tears it apart. (Proverbs 11:11)

EVERY CITY HAS A MOOD. Or perhaps an ethos, an attitude, or a culture. Whatever environment it has created for itself has enormous potential to shape the lives of its residents and form their perspectives. As much as we like to think we are independent individuals unaffected by the attitudes and decisions of the people around us, we are all part of a community. Our lives are interconnected.

That’s why Scripture tells us that upright citizens are good for a city and that negative talk can rip it apart. Our cities may not have the same dynamics as those in the ancient world when this proverb was written, but they are still built on relationships. A society filled with people who are invested, positive, constructive, and dedicated to God’s ways will prosper, even when its citizens don’t understand why. A society filled with people who are apathetic, negative, destructive, and amoral will never have a shortage of problems. The differences between the two may not be readily apparent on the surface—prosperity takes different forms—but the long-term health of a culture stands or falls not on its majorities but on the level of involvement of its godly remnants. A little salt and light can have a huge effect on their surroundings.

As conventional as it sounds, God has called his people to be upright citizens. Society needs us to contribute our ethics and gifts to its well-being. Doing so puts us in positions of service and influence and seasons the whole culture. It’s one of the ways God extends his grace to this world and creates avenues for reaching others’ hearts and lives.

Never underestimate your significance as a godly member of society. You may think your contributions are unnoticeable, and you may never see any tangible effects of your influence. But you are part of God’s Kingdom on earth, and that is never unimportant. Your city—or town or region—has its own atmosphere, and you have a hand in shaping it.

{Lord, you use all sorts of building blocks to construct your Kingdom, and you specialize in turning the raw material of our lives into the finest material. Make me a prime example of your handiwork. Use me to bless my society. Amen.