This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, “I will give it to your descendants.”   DEUTERONOMY 34:4

The reading I listed above (and I hope you'll read it!) is the last chapter of the book of Deuteronomy.  It also marks the end of the story of the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to the Promised Land.  Under Moses’ leadership, the Israelites have traveled through the desert, enduring hunger and thirst, on God’s timetable—the journey took forty years!

And so, on the cusp of this promise fulfilled, God leads Moses up to the top of Mt. Pisgah. From there, Moses can see the whole land that has been promised to the Israelites since the days of Abraham. However, for all of his hard work and faithfulness, Moses will not be allowed to cross over into that land. On the top of that mountain, and in the presence of God, he dies.

It seems cruel to think that Moses will not be allowed to see the fruits of his labor. After all, he has put up with a lot in his forty years as mediator between God and the Israelites. Moses’ situation, however, isn’t that different from our own.

As people of faith, we find ways to serve God and we hope that somehow we can influence future generations to do the same thing. We support youth and children’s ministries and we try to set a good example for our children. While we may certainly feel a sense of pride and joy in these activities, we will not be around to see the end result of our work because the results never end! When we positively impact young people in our lives, then perhaps they will do the same when they are adults—and we pray that the trend continues.