Short Cuts Never Work Out

Genesis 16:1-2 ESV
“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar;  so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said.”

God had given Abraham (Abram) and Sara (Sarai) a promise to give them a family. Sarai became impatient and took a short cut to have a family before the promise of God was fulfilled. She had her husband sleep with her servant in order to have a child.

Hopefully everyone sees that this was not a good idea at all! When Sarai’s servant became pregnant, Genesis 16:3 says “And when she saw that she (her servant) had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress.” Sarai and Abraham took a short cut and it left the family in shambles.

Ishmael and Isaac never really got along and the two nations to this day cannot get along, over 7,000 years later.

Most of the things we encounter as Christians are for a learning process or to make us stronger. Everything worthwhile we’ve ever accomplished initially challenged us.  Big challenges often prepare us for extraordinary success.

Every struggle arises for a reason. A great journey is never easy, and no adversity along the way is ever a waste of time if you learn and grow from it. The shortcuts may be moral, ethical, spiritual, financial, or even relational.

Shortcuts makes us lose out on valuable opportunities and typically never work out well. Proverbs 21:5 NLT says, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”

Prayer:
Lord, never let me subvert your authority or your perfect will for my life. If I see a short cut, let me not be tempted to take it.