At last! I have waited for this for a long time, and finally it has come. Some nice person on the internet is offering me ‘Genius Pills’!! Don’t laugh – it’s true. Just what I have always wanted, and needed, if some people are to be believed. To think that, instead of the years of study and downright slog, if I could have had these little fellas years ago I could have been a genius in a few doses. Amazing! So little effort needed. A glass of water, a quick swallow and – hey presto! – ready for Mastermind and beyond.
I can’t tell you exactly how much they will cost, however, though I’m sure you want to know. I was just a wee bit wary of opening the e-mail, and my spam filter wasn’t terribly keen on it. There might just be the possibility that this is an offer on a par with donations of millions of dollars to my ministry from a terminally ill widow somewhere in Africa or the possibility of sharing in the proceeds of a dormant bank account if only I will supply my bank details to get the ball rolling. And of course we all (or most of us) know that this is a complete scam and the chances of getting any genius pills purchased are nil. They don’t exist, they never will and if you should receive anything in return for a payment they will certainly do nothing for your brainpower, which must be sadly lacking if you fall for this.
The appeal of a scam like this is that it appears to offer a shortcut, a quick and easy way to a desirable goal. Instead of hard work and disciplined effort to develop whatever gifts you possess, you can reach the top and race past all competitors in one easy step. We like a shortcut, a route that avoids the hard work – precisely because it is hard. In truth, nothing of real value is attained by shortcuts. Even some of the winners of millions on the lottery have found that it was in fact a ticket to misery.
Ours is a culture that loves the shortcut. Maybe it has always been so. Sadly it is a mind-set that can easily infiltrate the attitudes of Christians to their spiritual life. The way to spiritual health and growth is set out clearly in Scripture. It involves the disciplined use of what we often term ‘the means of grace’ – Bible reading and meditation, prayer personal and corporate, worship, the proper use of the sacraments and the fellowship of the Lord’s people. Nothing new, nothing spectacular in that, the same pathway that has been followed for centuries.
The problem in our shortcut society is that this all requires effort, indeed hard work, and that is not attractive. No wonder there are plenty of offers of a ‘quick fix’, just one thing that a Christian can do for instant maturity that does away with the need for the slog, the effort, the discipline. It’s a version of ‘genius pills’, perhaps dressed in theological, spiritual language and offered sincerely, but a scam none the less.
There is no shortcut to godliness. There never has been, and there never will be. Christianity is at every point counter-cultural. If we want to be like Christ we must be prepared for the long road – the lifelong road – of disciplined, faithful use of the means of grace, blessed to us by the Holy Spirit. Nothing of spiritual value is achieved instantly, or even quickly. The end result, however, is wonderful and precious: during this life ‘we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another’ (2 Corinthians 3:18), and when the Lord returns ‘we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is’ (1 John 3:2). The long journey is worth every step.
This is a very informative blog I like this post because you are right Ours is a culture that loves the shortcut. Maybe it's always been that way. Unfortunately, this is an attitude that can easily permeate Christians' attitudes toward their spiritual life. The path to spiritual health and growth is clearly set forth in Scripture. It involves the disciplined use of what we often call 'the means of grace' - Bible reading and meditation, personal and corporate prayer, worship, the proper use of the sacraments, and the fellowship of the Lord's people. Nothing new, nothing spectacular, the same path that has been followed for centuries thank you so much for this post.
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11/12/2020 10:31 AM
