Stopping short of our Promised Land

In chapter 33 of Genesis we see another spiritual high of Jacob’s; His fear has come to naught because Esau embraces him. The relationship is restored. Where does Jacob go from here? Better yet, where should Jacob head next? It is true that for most of us, our greatest temptations come after our grandest spiritual moments. This is true for Jacob as well. Where should Jacob have journeyed and not stopped till he arrived?
Genesis 31:3 (NKJV) "Then the Lord said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you."
Genesis 31:11-13 (NKJV) “Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, 'Jacob.' And I said, 'Here I am.'…… I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.' "
What vow? Genesis 28:20-21 (NKJV) “Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, [21] so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God.
Genesis 31:18 (NKJV) “And he carried away all his livestock and all his possessions which he had gained, his acquired livestock which he had gained in Padan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.”
Jacob had direct orders from God…get to your promised land. He had made a vow to get back to his promised land. He began the journey back to his promised land. It seems that he had every intention to getting to his promised land. But he stopped short. He stopped this side of the river.
Why the delay going to his promised land? Why do we stop short of our own personal promised lands? What excuses can you hear Jacob (or his wives) giving? It’s too inconvenient today. I’ll do it tomorrow. We all know that tomorrow never comes. The kids are tired. Do we blame our lack of drive on our children, or our hectic schedules? We say that we will start when everything is in order. Everything will never be in order. If we are not intentional about our journey to arrive at our promised lands we won’t get there.
Delayed obedience is disobedience. What obedience are you delaying? What do you know you SHOULD do – and you’ve put it off… and put it off… and put it off? There is no better time than now to pack up and start crossing the river to get to the other side where you were meant to live, where your promises await you.