I just read an article that mentioned a fad diet that became popular back in 2006-7 called the Kimkins diet. It claimed that a person could lose weight super fast. It was featured in popular magazines which boosted its popularity.
After complaints about the diet arose, investigators found the creator of the diet to be a con artist, who was obese herself and had never tried the diet. Dietitians researched the diet and found it to be dangerously unhealthy. Also, the diet mentions nothing about exercise or seeking medical advice. It, in essence is a get thin quick scheme that did not work.
People spent millions on the diet before the creator was sued.
This "get ____ quick" mentality is pervasive in today's society. Coupled with another debilitating lack of a sense of delayed gratification, it is no wonder why so many people are financially strapped, including myself. There is nothing "quick" about success in any endeavor. There are no short cuts. Anything worth doing is worth doing right.
Just as this Kimkins diet purports fast weight loss, so too will one find schemes of all kinds to get to heaven quick without the necessary work God requires of us. These philosophies of men mingled with scripture try to make it sound like it is cool with the Almighty that we sin a little there and take advantage of our neighbor because of his weakness, and eat, drink and be merry, and then be saved with a slap on the hand. Too many who follow these something for nothing philosophies will come to the end of their lives desperately short of eternal capital to make it to heaven.
I am reminded of a story I read of a man who was tasked to carry a large cross across the desert. He began his journey with a smile and enthusiasm. After several hours, the man became tired and thought that if the cross were smaller, it would be easier to carry. After that thought caught hold of him, he lopped off a small portion of the cross in an effort to make it easier to carry.
Over the course of his journey, the man made several adjustments to the size of his cross before coming to a large ravine. The ravine stretched on forever in both directions. He could not jump across, for it was too far. He could not climb down then back up the other side, for the pit was bottomless. He then realized that he could use his cross to span the ravine and and walk on it to the other side. He carefully stood the cross on end on his side of the ravine and as he lowered the other end of the cross to the other side, he soon realized that the cross was not long enough, but the weight of the cross was too much and he lost his grip and the other end plummeted into the bottomless ravine. As the other end of the cross fell near the other side, he realized that if he had not shortened the cross, it would have been long enough to span the ravine, so he could make it across.
The cross the Lord has in mind for me to bear includes loving my family and others as myself. Serving them to the end, making no compromises
