What Sets Us Apart?

Exodus 33
15 And Moses said to the Lord, If Your Presence does not go with me, do not carry us up from here!
16 For by what shall it be known that I and Your people have found favour in Your sight? Is it not in Your going with us so that we are distinguished, I and Your people, from all the other people upon the face of the earth?

• Is it The Lord’s presence that distinguishes you from the those around you? Does the world see an individual who lives in the presence of The Creator God, walking in HIS joy, peace, love, power and testimony?
• Or are we distinguished merely by moralism or legalism? Are we distinguished by our denomination/church label? Are we distinguished by only our isolation or lifestyle?
• What does the world see in God’s people? Do they see a people set apart unto The Lord? Do they see a people who have “I AM” living within them? Do they see a people following after and calling after God? What do my work colleagues, friends and family see in me? Do they see The Lord and HIS testimony? Or do they see mere “Christianity”, religion and pride?

Exodus 34
9 And he said, If now I have found favor and loving-kindness in Your sight, O Lord, let the Lord, I pray You, go in the midst of us, although it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Your inheritance.

• Moses was desperate for The Lord to be in the midst of His people. He longed to see The Lord dwelling amongst them. He doesn’t pray just for personal guidance and fellowship, he beseeches The Lord, “Our Father”, that He would be amongst “us”, His brethren, leading and guiding the congregation, the sheep that He has delivered!
• Note “midst of us”, “our iniquity”, “take us”, Moses identifies himself with the people. Moses identifies the same heart within Himself and confesses our iniquity and our sin and our need for The Lord to be among us! He is not better than them or above them or apart from them.
• Let us pray together as Moses did to be distinguished in the world by The Lord’s presence! Let us learn to be mindful of Our Father’s constant presence among us. His presence is not experienced by sense but enjoyed by faith!! Let us be careful to pray with the same meekness and humility to be distinguished from the world but not from our brethren.
• By faith, may He be in all our momentary thoughts and have all our attention as we walk in His Spirit. By faith may we enjoy Him and all that He is minute by minute…
• “O Lord, let the Lord, I pray You, go in the midst of us!”