A distant light

November 16, 2006

By Bobby Wilson

“A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14, NKJV).

The traveler at night looks at a distance for the lights of his or her destination. Light beckons; it’s a reassuring sight.

We are on a journey in a dark world and we dare not lose our way. The Lord gives us a higher calling and it is to be our defining purpose. We are to look for His light.

Let me ask you. Where is your journey leading you? When did it begin? Are you satisfied with your progress?

Moses led the children of Israel from Egypt to Canaan, the Promised Land. Moses inspires me! He calls me to vigilance! The 40-year journey is the great Exodus that still mystifies our world. In Hebrews 11, I read some key phrases that tell me how Moses remained faithful throughout that journey.

Moses forsook Egypt (verse 27). He was not going back. The bridge was burned. The Red Sea settled back into its bed. When the suggestion came up later that the Israelites return to Egypt, Moses said, “Count me out.” It is not because he couldn’t go back. He wouldn’t, because God had put something better in his spirit.

Moses endured (verse 27). The wilderness passage was not easy. But Moses determined to make it through the wilderness no matter what. There was no thought of leaving that great company of Israelites anywhere short of the Promised Land — much like every endurance race. “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). Take it from a fellow journeyman, the test is in persevering to the end.

Moses kept the reward in his sights (verse 26). Moses would not stop until he reached the borders of the land of Canaan. He delivered his followers to the entrance of their inheritance.

In spite of all this, there is a sobering fourth reality.

Moses did not enter the Promised Land. There were issues that kept Moses personally from setting foot in Canaan. But this did not deter him. He knew it was not about him, ever. It was about the Lord. The writer of Hebrews casts all of Moses’ actions in the light of his faith in God (verses 26-27).

Like Moses, there’s a bright light of success at the end of your journey even if every detail does not fall into place right now. Though your current circumstances may be dim and at times your Promised Land falls from your line of sight, keep the faith!

You’re not just heading toward a bright personal future. You are to be an example that draws others on the same journey. Look at Jesus’ statement again, in a little more detail.

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. … Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14,16).

Leave something bigger than the earthly details of your life for those who come behind you. Leave them an example of someone who followed Jesus and inherited a glorious eternity.

Bobby J. Wilson is senior pastor of Praise Assembly of God in Pueblo, Colo.