August 3, 2008
No Short-Cuts
By Tony Mauck
While in high school, I learned in mathematics that the shortest distance
between two points is a straight line. That's simple enough, but life isn't so
simple. Rarely can one get from point A to point B by a straight line. I live
approximately five minutes from the Southside building. If I could travel in a
straight line, I could make it in less time. Life is more involved with curves
and turns rather than a straight line. The Christian walk is on a highway, but
the highway, at times, is winding, running through rugged and hilly terrain.
The highway leads to heaven. The goal is worth the journey, but sometimes the
way is steep.
We all tend to seek short-cuts, an avenue or path to our destination which is quicker or easier. I can get to the building by several routes, but it took me nearly six months to figure out the shortest route from my apartment to the building (avoiding 20 m.p.h. school zones and occasionally fitting in a trip to McDonald's for breakfast). Our fast-paced society desires convenience (the prevalence of drive-thru windows and remote control everything suggests this to be the case). Time is precious, so we want to make the best use of it. That's all well and good (Eph. 5:16), but sometimes short-cuts are dangerous. Short-cuts in religion are extremely perilous to the soul.
Satan is in the business of offering short-cuts. He short-changes us by providing alluring temporal pleasures in place of eternal pleasure. He offered Jesus a short-cut to obtaining a kingdom (Matt. 4:8-10). The way of Christianity is a cross (Matt. 16:24), and the first one to suggest achievement without one was Satan himself (Matt. 16:21-23).
No short-cuts exist in arriving at spiritual maturity. It requires faith, patience and labor. One does not learn and know the Scriptures by osmosis. One must love, diligently study, and meditate upon the truth. He must pray for wisdom to employ it. Prayer, also, requires learning. An individual's communication and intimacy with the Father improves with practice and deepens with growth in faith. Just as the physical body does not mature in one day, the Christian does not arrive at spiritual maturity overnight nor without effort. Satan will do his best to throw us some curves, and he will whisper in our ear, "You're doing great; just relax and take it easy; you can pray and study and work for the Lord later...when it is more convenient for you to do so."
The Christian travels the Highway of Holiness (Isa. 35:8). It's no ordinary or
boring Highway, and it's not traveled by just anybody. Fools do not wander on
it and the unclean will not travel it either, but the redeemed will walk there (Isa.
35:9). The way is sometimes difficult, but remember that we are climbers; at
our best when the way is steep. By God's grace and our longing and
perseverance, heaven will eventually be our eternal home. Do not accept Satan's
offer of a short-cut. His is the way of misery, sorrow and woe. Ours is the
way of everlasting joy and gladness (Isa. 35:10).