Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the river and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. 21 If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies; even the ground will be covered with them.

22 “‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. 23 I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow.’”

There are two observations I want to make about this plague. Here is the first. The second will come tomorrow:

God will deal differently with His people in judgment. In many ways, the day of judgment will be one of division and distinction. It will clearly and truly be seen who are God’s people and who are not. Before that day, we are not in a position to make such judgments. The Lord knows those who are His and He will make it known.

But even now He makes a distinction between the church and the world. The church is called (and enabled) to be so different, and this difference is meant to be much more than that we go to church while everybody else doesn’t! It is about the lives we lead – being a counter-culture.

“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life” (Philippians 2:14-16).

There is a definite distinction in the night sky between the darkness and the shining, luminous planets. So it should be with Christians in the world. Even as I came downstairs on this cold, dark morning, the light from the moon made a difference.

G.Campbell Morgan, in a sermon on the beatitudes, asked, ‘What is the character of the Christian’s influence? It is the influence of the Christian’s character?’