By Dan Britton for THE CHRISTIAN POST
Not long ago I saw an athlete in the gym wearing a T-shirt with the saying, “No Pain — No Pain.” It was obviously a play on the old adage “No Pain — No Gain.” I watched him for 30 minutes while I ran on the treadmill. This guy was truly living out his shirt. I watched him talk to the ladies and visit with the gym staff. There wasn’t a drop of sweat on him.
Joining the gym and showing up is easy; working hard is not. It’s easy to value shortcuts as the keys to success. The easy way becomes the best way — not hard work and unwavering discipline. Many competitors live with this mindset and never fulfill their God-given potential. They waste their gifts. There is no progress without struggle. There is no growth unless we push beyond our normal limits. Many competitors want the “win” without the work. But the shortcut never leads to greatness. The easy road never makes you better.
Often, we carry this mindset right into our spiritual lives. Salvation is free, but sanctification is costly. While there’s nothing we can do to earn eternal life or a place in Heaven, and no amount of effort earns us God’s love and acceptance, once we’re born again, the ongoing transformation process requires daily surrendering of ourselves and a supernatural work of God.
Some want change without the work. We have been saved by grace through faith; it’s a gift to be received. But when the Gospel is presented as a quick prayer to add Jesus to someone’s life, a quick fix to make everything better, we are presenting a false Gospel. This thinking simply says plug Jesus in and you’ll get everything you’ve ever wanted. No change, no sacrifice, no confession of sin, no sweat, no effort, no surrender. Jesus will give you peace and purpose if you just add Him to your already well-planned-out life … right?
