The NIV 365 Day Devotional

Failure

9 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up 10 and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. 11 But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.

Exodus 24:9-11

Mountaintop experiences don’t get any better than the one Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and 70 select fellow countrymen enjoyed. Not many people can say they saw God and lived to tell about it. Talk about a life-changing experience! Or was it?

Moses blew his chance to enter the Promised Land when he disobeyed God at a critical moment. Aaron led the Israelites in creating a golden calf idol to worship while they waited for Moses to return with the Ten Commandments. Nadab and Abihu were killed by God for not showing him proper respect.

No matter what kind of success (or mountaintop experiences) you’ve had in the past, spiritual failure is never more than one decision away. Faithfulness and obedience are both a daily challenge and a daily opportunity. Prepare yourself to be proactive in your obedience to God.

Taken from Rooted: The NIV Bible for Men.