God gives us a promise of hope, a gift – one which is not immediately given, but which lies at the end of the road God calls us to walk.

When God called his people of Ancient Israel into the promised land, there was still much work to be done. The people of Israel were led into a land that was promised to them by God; yet when they entered, they did not receive the land all in one plot as if they finalized a purchase; there was still the presence of enemies here, and work to do in order to conquer the land. They had to drive out the enemy in order to establish where they would live.

God did not invite them into a cloud In the sky, where everyone might jump and lounge about however they saw fit, not having to do anything that could be considered hard. He did not bring them to the promised land for them to only be feasting upon the fruits of this land. God’s call was not to be indulged forever in pleasure now that their slavery was over. God’s call led people to life; and in this life we work, through belief in God guiding our way, in order to build those things that God presents to us. God gives us enough; he speaks to us and inspires us according to his will; but then we ourselves must pick up the Cross, and follow this road with our own free will. It will be hard, it will be difficult, but God will give us strength to pursue through to the end of it.

When we are giving this gift, this idea, this hope of eternal life, we do not receive it the moment our hope and our hearts encounter it; but only when God brings us there. First we must live, and have faith, and through faith go on upon the road marked by God, which is simple, direct, and here. We would not ourselves choose this road; we seek, in our own hearts, the quickest way to achieve our desired outcome. We would expect all of Israel to be ready for us, without us doing anything to build or making any sacrifice at all. Our human nature is always crying: ‘me!’, and the deceitful heart continues to plot in the background, always trying to make this moment, this life, this gift we have received into a good only for us. We are always aspiring to do what we want; but God’s will is much different.

He calls us upon the transom of our hearts to make a sacrifice of ourselves. If we are willing, and give everything to Jesus, he will present a path. He will tell us, in his voice of truth, of the hope of Heaven; and then calls us, convicts us, and works in our hearts to transform and mold us into the people has created us to be. It is God who we seek as Christians to emulate in all we do, God who is perfect virtue – he is truth, and where truth abides, there the soul produces fruit of eternal life.

The heart of a soul who is willing to enter into Heaven and share in the Lord’s company, is a soul which sees others as far more important, who is sacrificing, who does not advance its own way before God. A humble soul truly understands how little it is before God, and thus is satisfied in all times and places, seeing clearly that all is a gift, all is good, and we should only give thanks for all that God has given.

He is the giver of all good gifts, the love and charity of the universe, the power behind every surface which has created us, and who desires to spend eternity with us. Yet just as the Israelites in Israel were not given immediately the promises of God, but called to have faith to sacrifice and work in order to bring them to fruition; so also does God give us hope, and inspires us to what we should do. But then it is on us, to pick up our Cross, and submit ourselves to God – to follow this light, seek this light, and rise into faith in the pursuit of this light. And all of this, from the Kingdom of Israel to every Christian soul, is a room in the world to come, when all that we have ever sought to achieve, will find its true definition, its true purpose, in the Kingdom of Heaven. But first is the road of the Cross!