Shortcuts?

READ Mark 12:29-31

Someone used this analogy and I liked it – in High School CliffsNotes were an ever-present reality. These notes were supposed to be a tool, a study guide to help students with reading a novel or play. While it’s true these helps could actually be beneficial in understanding difficult passages, nothing could replace a firsthand reading of the complete work. To read the CliffsNotes in lieu of reading the book or play would be like reading a recipe for apple pie instead of tasting the real thing. Shortcuts leave us shortchanged.

The same is true in our spiritual walk. We can try all the shortcuts but our results will leave us with nothing but a bunch of frustrations and disappointments. Listen, it’s easy to think of a whole list of other examples where shortcuts don’t work. So what’s the solution? Doing what’s necessary, doing the preparation needed to be ready when life storms come our way. I’m not going to give a long list of what to do so we can be sure we’re not left shortchanged. But what I will say is what’s important is we must always remember our priorities. Jesus said when asked about the greatest commandment, was that life’s all about love: Loving God and Loving Others, there is no commandment greater. Our capacity to love is aided when we realize it’s the power of the Holy Spirit living in us and through us that allows us to overflow with the love God has given us. We love because He first loved us. Understand these truths, live these truths and the rest is history as they say. May God’s love flow through you so that you’ll never again be shortchanged.