To go throughout life without having expectations, goals, and destinations to reach is not ideal.  It seems to be the universal premise of life, achieve so that you can experience happiness and “the good life.”

Had Moses lived out this idea about life, than he had one of the most disappointing existences in life.  To live leading a complaining people to a promised land, that God bans him from, because of “smiting the rock” instead of speaking to it, seems very harsh (vs.14).  Yet Moses understood his disobedience and accepted the consequences without bitterness.  But how?

Moses valued walking with God over a destination or a “promised land”.  Moses in his own request to God, asks for a man who has a spirit to shepherd the people and not leave them to themselves.  Moses was not bitter, because the goal of Moses life was not a destination or an ideal lifestyle, but God and His will, and the experience of walking throughout life knowing Him!

The problem with having a “promised land” as the goal in life, whatever that looks like to you, is that it can become an idol that we chase.  So if God doesn’t allow us to enter this “promised land”, we can find ourselves extremely bitter, and not have any desire to go any further with Him.  God reveals in us that we were serving Him to get somewhere, like a promised land or heaven, rather than loving Him and experiencing His love.

Though God gave the children of Israel a promised land, he never promised Moses he would see it.  Have you made the mistake of having ideals and promises in your heart, that God never reserved for you?  Our ideals are not promised, the only thing promised is Christ never leaving us nor forsaking us.  Will that be enough to walk with Him?

In His Love, Ld