Jul
15
From the Word: Shortcuts to God
Posted on July 15th, 2009 in Faith, From the Word by Fred McKinnon
Thanks to Kim Bontrager for posting this on Twitter – I saw it the other day, and thought “this would be a good conversation on the blog”.
Here ya go – from “The Message”, Matt 7:
13-14 “Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention.
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3 Responses to “From the Word: Shortcuts to God”
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This is one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned – that the work of God is deep, powerful, sometimes unruly and unmanagable, and it is as HE wills, not as we do. Sure, we cooperate, but He is working in us things we cannot imagine. So anytime we think we’re in control, we’re simply deluded.
It’s important that we remember the words in 2 Peter: “so make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better. Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness. Godliness leads to love for other Christians and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more you will become productive and useful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Growth takes time. It takes attending to the heart of God. It takes endurance. None of that is quick or easy…..
It’s definitely a lifelong journey. You never really reach the goal in this life. There’s always something more to learn, to repent of, etc…
I say “yes and amen”. There are no short-cuts. It’s about relationship, and there is no easy way to be truly involved in a relationship. It takes work, time and a whole lot of sacrifice to walk out a real relationship.
I recall two scriptures that I think relate to this:
John 10:1 “Truly I say to you, he who enters by THE DOOR to the sheepfold, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber” (my paraphrase). Jesus is the sheepgate, the way, the ONLY way. There are no short-cuts, and to try and use one makes us a thief. And sad to say, we are the ones stealing from ourselves – a life that HE has ordained for us to live.
Second is 2 Chron.16:9 “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth – that He may strongly support those whose hearts are COMPLETELY His.” (my paraphrase). When we look for short-cuts, we are with-holding our heart from Him.
Just my thoughts