Keep moving forward

As one takes a deeper look at the familiar story of the Israelites heading towards the Promised Land, we notice something interesting:

"After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people." - Exodus 13

It only occurred to me now, why God used the pillar of fire to lead the Israelites. God wanted them to keep moving forward, and to put distance between themselves and the chasing Egyptians. It probably seemed a natural thing for them to rest at night and to only travel by day, but this would have been too dangerous for them, so God told them to walk in the dark. 

Obviously, God is not suggesting that we don't sleep at night, but I do think there is something profound about the idea of us 'moving forward', despite the darkness that may hamper our journey. Is it possible that in a time of despair we are tempted to stop? To give up? Could God be nudging us onward and promising to shine a light for us?

What do you think?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Liberation is not deliverance

It was Victor Hugo who once said, "Liberation is not deliverance."

And he was spot on!

If you look at the human race, you will see how this has played out in almost every instance. People rightly fight for liberation and the ideals we strive for are usually just and fair, however somehow we lose our way when we taste our liberation.

Take the Israelites as a case in point. They longed for Liberation and when Moses led them towards the Promised land they realised that they were still enslaved to their sins and selfishness. Liberation from the Egyptians had not brought deliverance from the sin in their hearts.

Take our own beloved country, South Africa, as another case in point. We fought against the evil of Apartheid and pursued freedom for all people in our nation. This was a JUST cause and liberation was deserved for millions of disadvantaged South Africans. However, in celebrating our liberation we forgot that we had not experienced deliverance from the evil in our hearts. In a sense, Freedom does not deliver us from our own 'demons'. In fact, all it does is lull us into a false sense of victory and soon our 'demons' eat us from the inside out. 

In my opinion there is only one person who can LIBERATE us and also DELIVER us - His name is Jesus Christ.

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." - Galatians 5:1

Here are another few quotes to chew on as we reflect on our Freedom. Have a blessed FREEDOM DAY.

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." -Ronald Reagan

"There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires." - Nelson Mandela

Living in Freedom

D3LM3