Shortcuts

In his book on prayer, Jerram Barrs writes about Jesus’ temptation and his response to the devil when he said, you shall not put the Lord your God to the test:

Jesus knows that there is no shortcut to serving his Father, no easy way to gain the support of the people, no quick and spectacular resolution to this ministry. There is rather faithfulness, doing his Father’s will day after day, trusting him in the troubles that come along, believing in his care when times are tough. Any other way is the way of presumption and pride.

Not much in our American cultural life prepares us for this way of thinking and living. I don’t mean to blame the culture. I know quite well that I can find trouble all on my own. I’ve given plenty of thought as to how I might get through please-fill-in-blank with spectacular results and without pain or bother.