Monday Morning Reflections

Monday Morning Reflections w/ Lori Griffith

On Wednesday I read Pastor Joe's sermon preview. It said:

"There's a difference between knowing a lot about Jesus and knowing who Jesus is."

I confidently, chest puffed out, commented on the post. Later, I deleted it.

I do know a lot about Jesus. I thought I knew exactly who He is.

Throughout Sunday's message, Pastor Joe kept coming back to one word: shortcuts.

Jesus, the greatest King, refused every shortcut. Throughout His entire life, He trusted His Father's plan and walked the road set before Him, all the way to the cross and only after fulfilling our salvation on that cross, did He receive the Kingdom from His Father's hand.

No shortcuts.

Sometimes I fall into the trap of thinking, If I go to church, pray, don't curse, dress modestly, don't judge people, then I've secured my place in heaven.

Sometimes I want the blessings now. I want God to answer my prayers the way I want them answered. Heal my brain. Heal my mother-in-law. Fix the hard things. And if I stumble into sin, I tell myself, "I'm only human. God will forgive me."

Grace becomes an excuse instead of something that leads me to repentance.

Those are shortcuts.

Jesus didn't take shortcuts. He walked a path of suffering, obedience, humility, and complete surrender to the Father's will so that we could be saved.

Yet I often want the crown without carrying the cross.

If I'm honest, I'm really struggling with faith these days. I'm struggling to trust God's will for my life and the path He's chosen for me. There are a lot of "why's" being asked in our house right now.

But I also know what I need to do.

I need to pray, not just once a day, but continually. I need to read God's Word, even when I don't feel like it. I need to worship even when my heart feels heavy. I need to sit quietly in His presence instead of always asking for answers. I need to thank Him for what He's already done instead of focusing only on what I'm still waiting for. I need to surround myself with other believers who will encourage me, speak truth into my life, and point me back to Jesus. I need to surrender my timeline and trust that God's plan is better than my own, even when I can't understand it.

Faith isn't built by taking shortcuts. It's built by walking with Jesus one faithful step at a time.

Lord, help me stop looking for the easy way and give me the strength to follow You wherever You lead.