No one would ride with him on a long trip. He lived on an endless quest of finding shortcuts but always ended up lost. His shortcuts inevitably led to him driving much further often ending up back to the starting point. But searching for shortcuts didn’t end with travel, not only did he live his spiritual life looking for shortcuts, he brought this mindset into the church he pastored. Growing a mega-church became the driving passion of his ministry. He attended every church growth seminar he could find. Then the first item on the agenda after returning was sharing with the staff all the new ideas, and informing them, they were scrapping his last plan. Each time he was convinced this new plan provided a shortcut to quicker growth. Sadly, in the end, he failed in his spiritual walk and the church closed.
The first principle that every new believer should learn, “Shortcuts to quick Christian maturity doesn’t exist.” Spiritual growth is not an event; it is rather a lifelong process. Anyone with children remembers when their small ones couldn’t wait to grow taller. A friend’s young boy decided he would help speed up the growth process. He lifted his mom’s exercise weights, jogged around the yard, and ate all the healthy food his mom would give him. After a month, he was disappointed and gave up because he hadn’t grown even a half inch. Neither physical growth nor spiritual growth operates this way. Several times the New Testament uses the analogy of the kind of food people eat at various ages and levels of spiritual maturity confirming a process of growth. Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation (1Pe 2:2). For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food (Heb 5:12). No superfood exists that can fast track an infant from drinking milk to eating a steak. The journey from conversion to maturity in Christ doesn’t have shortcuts.
Satan introduced shortcuts to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The devil pointed out that the forbidden fruit looked good, tasted good, and claimed it would make them like God. They could take a shortcut around the restrictions the LORD had commanded and immediately become like Him. When he tempted Jesus, he used the same tactic. After Jesus had fasted 40 days and was hungry, the devil came and said, “Oh! You’re hungry; just turn these stones into bread. Oh! And you need recognition by the people. Jump off the pentacle of the temple and let His angels catch you. That will get you attention. Better yet, just bow down and worship me, and you won’t have to suffer and do all that crucifixion stuff. I’ll give you all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.” Every offer was a deceptive shortcut to what God would give Jesus in the proper time; however, Satan’s temptation bypassed the Father’s plan. Sin is often a shortcut to what God intends you to have but in His time and according to His Word. Consider sexual relations; God created sex and, beyond procreation, made it for a man and woman’s pleasure in marriage. Any sexual acts shortcutting those boundaries constitute sin.
All of life, physical and spiritual, requires time to grow and mature. Salvation is the gift of God’s grace. However, maturity is not something God imparts at the altar or a condition into which you drift by attending church. Maturity in Christ is the results from effort, struggle, self-denial, and deliberate consistent pursuit. It takes place one-step at the time with no giant leaps, no hidden paths, no magic formulas, and not even ten-step programs, etc. Maturity comes by living and learning through the experiences of life. I like the way the Message Bible translates this verse. “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” (Matthew 7:13-14). We live in the age of the “Gospel Now” teaching that offers instant gratification so Christians can have it their way and have it now. It promises blessing and wealth down an easy road to heaven. As the verse above says, don’t fall for that stuff God did not provide shortcuts.
Had Israel taken the short route from Egypt direct to Canaan along the Mediterranean Sea, Pharaoh and his army would have caught and re-captured them. The pastor in the opening spent much of his ministry searching for a quicker and shorter way to accomplish God’s work but likely for his own gratification. Several of his peers consistently traveled one-step at a time on God’s route and the churches they pastored grew into mega-congregations. This lesson applies to your spiritual growth. Don’t rush God’s plans for your life. Walk in the way He has designed for you. He is leading you in the right direction. Only Satan offers shortcuts.
Sustaining Word for the Week: Slow down. Walk in peace. Maturity in Christ requires a lifetime. That shortcut is a dead end from the devil.