In Numbers 20, the people rose up against Moses and Aaron because they had no water to drink. In response, Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before God. God spoke to them and commanded Moses to speak to a rock and He would make it yield water. But because of his anger toward the people, Moses rebuked the Israelites, asked if he and Aaron had to provide water, and struck the rock twice instead. Because of Moses’ failure to obey God, God declared that he would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land; he would die in the wilderness instead.

God’s demand for obedience is absolute. There is no such thing as “halfway” obedience. Even the most minuscule deviation from God’s commands is an act of disobedience. We are called to be holy just as God is holy (1 Peter 1:15–16). God’s holiness refers both to His uniqueness in being separate from creation and His perfect purity. This is our standard as well. We are to be different from the culture. We are to obey perfectly. And even one act of unfaithfulness earns condemnation. But thankfully, we have been provided a way to be forgiven of our transgressions in Jesus, the One who perfectly obeyed and who takes our sin and credits us with His righteousness when we believe.

• How have you partially obeyed God at times believing it was good enough?