Are We There Yet?

“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.  By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundation, whose builder and maker is God.”  Hebrews 11:8-10

Many families like to travel for the 4th of July holiday.  When you were a child, and your family went on a long road trip, you probably asked several times, “Are we there yet?”  Or, if you have or had young children, you were probably asked that same question.  Road trips can be very tiring, especially for active children.  It’s hard to sit still, strapped in a car seat or behind a seat belt.  However, these days there are various things that are available to keep children occupied while riding, such as DVD players, hand-held video games, and smart phones.  We didn’t have those luxuries when our children were young, and these items were unheard of when I was a child.  What I did to pass the time was to keep track of license plates from different states.  I never wanted to lie down and sleep in the back seat because as soon as I did, my mother would say, “Would you look at that?!!”  “What, what?” I would ask.  “You missed it.”  So much for reminiscing about the “good old days”.

I suppose those who traveled with Abraham might have wondered not only when, but where they were going.  God chose Abraham to be the father of a great nation and promised to lead him and his kinfolks to, as God described later to Moses, a land of “milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8).  From the scriptures, we know that this journey was a long and arduous one, and even after the promised land was conquered by Joshua and the army of Israel (Joshua 11:23), the land that was to be the land of “milk and honey” was fraught with dangers, problems, and uncertainties.  The land was just as God promised with “goodly cities”, “houses full of all good things”, “wells dug”, and “vineyards and olives trees”; all of these blessings the people of Israel were given freely and without having to labor for any of it other than displacing the former inhabitants.  All that was required of them was to be obedient to the LORD, honor and serve Him.  That is not asking much for all that they had received in land, material goods, and protection by God’s generous grace, but they could not keep their end of the covenant.  I am reminded of Adam and Eve.  Only one forbidden tree out of many others of which they were free to enjoy the fruits thereof, but they could not refrain from breaking that one rule.

We have politicians and others today who believe that America can become some kind of utopia where everyone is completely equal, with no one, other than the “elite”, of course, having no more than anyone else.  What these so-called “planners” have not considered is human nature.  We have the history of the nation of Israel whose people, given everything they could possibly need to live comfortable lives, yet not able to make it work into a fair and equitable society because of sin, envy, discontentment, and disobedience.  Neither have these current “utopia seekers” included the Lord in their plans.  Matter of fact, their plan is to eradicate God and Christianity from all facets of life as if that will lead to a perfect society.  They have tried to diminish American history thinking that the past can be eliminated, but we know that if we don’t remember history, we are doomed to repeat it.  Will we ever arrive at these so-called progressives’ plan for utopia?  I pray to God that we never do.  Instead of “progressives”, they should be called “regressives” because they desire to divide rather than unite Americans.  Jesus said in Matthew 12:25 that “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.” 

As we celebrate Independence Day on the 4th of July 2021, let’s stand for freedom, the freedom that this country has afforded her people for over 240 years, and let’s not forget God, who gave us the freedom from the guilt of sin through His Son, Jesus Christ.  As believers, let’s determine to always stand for the truth and not get discouraged by those who would seek to take away our freedom to live and worship as we see fit.  As far as a time of perfect peace and rest, we are not there yet, but we will reach our eternal destination one day, a real and true “utopia” because God has promised it to all those who repent and place their faith in Jesus Christ.