Have you ever been tempted to take a shortcut? Have you ever had to tell a ‘small’ lie to glaze over the fact that you have been slack? It could be anything. What springs up in your mind?
Jesus has offered us the ultimate prize of glory. However, the road there is one of sacrifice and total dependence on the Holy Spirit. Jesus experienced it Himself when He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness after His 40 day fast. Three times, the devil tried to get him to compromise: “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. The father of lies tried to entice Jesus with a shortcut to bogus glory. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Was Satan really able to give the Son of God all the kingdoms of the world? Of course not, it was all a huge ruse. Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' Jesus had the RIGHT answer for him. After all, He was the Son of God! Thankfully for all of us, the devil did not succeed in this mission!
But you see, Jesus had already been promised all the kingdoms of the earth by his Heavenly Father. However, itwas at a very high price; the price of his own blood, sweat and tears. The wonderful thing is that this was a price Jesus fully intended to pay! He shed his blood and died for the salvation of the whole world because we were helplessly lost and separated in our sin. You and I are where we are today because of the OBEDIENCE and precious sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. He chose glory, but He got it the hard way. 1 Pet 3:18 says For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, and so we can be saved! If you have not yet made use of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross by handing over control of your life to Him today, you are not yet on the road to glory. Jesus is coming soon! He will surely come and take all His loved ones to be with Him in Glory. Give your life to Jesus today!
