No Shortcut To Happiness
Tuesday July 16, 2013
We may be searching for shortcuts to happiness. The road of life often takes us through painful places we would rather avoid. Some of us have gotten off the right track, lured away by hopes of faster and easier ways to “the good life.”
In the Bible, Esau traded his special blessings as a firstborn son for a bowl of stew to fill his empty stomach. He was indifferent to the things in life that were really important. His primary concern was to satisfy his immediate physical needs, with no thought at all for his future. He hadn’t learned how to delay gratification.
Jesus faced this same temptation. He was destined to become King of all the earth. The plan was that He would come to earth as a man, live a sinless life, die to pay for our sins, rise from the dead, and return to heaven to wait for those who would be His. Then He would return to earth to claim His people and His rightful place as King of kings. Satan offered Jesus a shortcut.
Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.” “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, "You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.” (Matthew 4:8-10 NLT) If Jesus had fallen for this trick, He would have sinned and lost everything.
We need to be aware of “shortcuts” that take us even one more step outside of God’s will. We are warned: “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7 NLT). There are really no quick fixes in life.
The path of life can be long and hard, but many have gone before us and have been successful. As we stay on the path, taking one step at a time, we’ll find the good things in life God has for us.
©2013 Partners in Hope
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