Time to move on?

A few days ago, I began reading in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, and my attention was caught almost immediately by a striking contrast in the first few verses. In Deuteronomy chapter 1 verse 2, it says, "Normally it takes eleven days to travel from Mount Sinai to Kadesh Barnea (the point from where the promised land could be seen and entered.) In the very next verse, Deuteronomy chapter 1 verse 3, it says, "But forty years after leaving Egypt…" 

What a shocking contrast! You've probably heard it before. The journey to the promised land could have been completed in only 11 days. But instead, it took 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.  And why? Because the people were stubborn, ungrateful and resistant to God's work in their lives. And so a journey that could have been completed relatively quickly ended up taking much, much longer.

I hate to think that the same could be true in my own life; that my lack of spiritual understanding, my failure to obey quickly or my doubts about the character of God could prevent me from being where and who God longs for me to be.  May we learn from the sad history of the Israelites, and seek to follow God with all our hearts.

Read on in the post below for some further insights into what it means to start moving on.