Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments; and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which they had and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem. Genesis 25:1-4 NASB
Sam Cook wrote the song Keep Movin’ On, which contains the lyrics ‘there is one thing that I know, what you reap is what you sow, keep movin’ on, keep movin’ on. There are moments in life when it’s time to ‘move on’. It might be a job, place where we live, or a relationship. But, God impresses upon us the need to change. Its not always easy. Jacob, heard from God that it was time to move to Bethel from Shechem. I love how he used this occasion to leave behind his idols, foreign gods and other unholiness that had creeped into his family. They buried it all, never to return. It cost them, but it was worth it because it pleased God… and He would be with them. Do you want to know God is with you? Listen for His voice, obey, and purify yourself. For Jacob, this would also mark the time his name would be forever Israel! He was movin’ on!
What in my life is awaiting a change? Has God told me it time to ‘move on’ in some way?
God, as this day begins- I a grateful that You use a simple person like me to express Your love and the hope found in Christ Jesus. I sense a season of change ahead. I will purify myself so that You might lead me and I will sense Your presence in my life to an even greater degree. Today, please comfort the Sotelo family as they celebrate the life of their father Antonio and in some ways say “nos vemos”. He has moved on into Your presence.
