Weekend, June 8, 2024

　　Looking Ahead

　　He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. (Hebrews 11:26 NLT)

　　Moses had the big picture. He looked away from everything else and fixed his attention on what was ahead. Hebrews 11:26 says of him, “He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward” (NLT).

　　Moses saw beyond the temporal comforts of the palace of Egypt. He saw beyond the bondage of Pharaoh. Moses saw beyond to what God could do, and that is what he chose to focus on.

　　He did the very thing the writer of Hebrews urges us to do: “And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne” (12:1-2 NLT).

　　Moses finished his race well. The Bible tells us, “Then Moses went up to Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab and climbed Pisgah Peak, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him the whole land. . . . So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, just as the Lord had said” (Deuteronomy 34:1, 5 NLT).

　　Now Moses was 120 years old at this point, and it’s very impressive that he could climb this mountain, a 2,297-foot-high peak. There was no escalator or elevator. He climbed it on his own.

　　As we all get older, we realize that we have limitations. And sometimes we begin to disconnect. We retire not only from our work but also from our spiritual lives. However, that wasn’t the case with Moses. He was strong until the very end.

　　Moses understood that he was going to die. But he wasn’t afraid, and he wasn’t depressed. He realized that life has a beginning, a middle, and an end. No one wants to die, but there is no escaping it. And as a Christian, you don’t have to be afraid to die.

　　The apostle Paul reminded us that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 NKJV). And why is dying gain for the Christian? Because we go to Heaven into the very presence of God.

　　Moses understood that. God showed him all the Promised Land and said, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have now allowed you to see it with your own eyes, but you will not enter the land” (Deuteronomy 34:4 NLT).

　　We might think that was kind of cruel on God’s part. But God didn’t do this to depress Moses. Rather, God was saying, “Look, Moses. All that misery, all that hardship, and all those difficulties you went through were worth it. Here is the land. I keep My promises. I’m going to do what I said I would do.”

　　And God will keep His promises to you, too.

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　　Cartoon companions Ben Born Again and YellowDog teach kids how to read the Bible, how to pray, how to know the will of God, how to resist temptation, and much more in this engaging resource written for children. A copy will be sent to you for a gift of any amount to Harvest Ministries this month.

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