Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” (Exodus 33:15)
The point at which God was not going to move forward with Moses and the Israelites into the Promised Land was the point at which Moses no longer wanted to move forward. The sins of the Israelites were huge: they had fashioned a false god out of gold, and the Lord was ready to leave them on their own.
Moses understood something incredibly important: it was more valuable to root out the sin and to maintain God’s presence than to move forward in sin and sacrifice God’s presence.
The Israelites had a long road ahead if they were to enter Canaan without the Lord’s presence; their future would be one of utter defeat. But with God’s presence, they had hope for a future.
In your own life, you have to ask the question if moving forward without God’s presence is worth the cost. Yes, handing sin over to God and ridding your life of a sinful lifestyle is painful, but going forward without God’s blessing is even more painful. His presence is so important that it’s worth submitting all things to Him.
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. (Jim Elliot)
Father, help me to give all things to You. I don’t ever want to believe the lie that keeping my sinful lifestyle is of greater value than losing Your presence in my life. Give me courage to submit to You in all areas of my life so that I may reap the benefit of being near to You.
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