Busted

I enjoy reading Quora on the Internet. In case you aren't familiar with it, it starts with a reader submitting a question. Answers are submitted from members of the Quora community, and then readers vote on those answers to select the one they like the most. Quora is at its best when people who are specialists answer the questions. For example, to the question, "What is it like to live in the International Space Station?" The best answers come from astronauts who have been there.

I was intrigued by a question I came across a few weeks back: "How do professors know if you plagiarized or not and what tools do they use?"

The top-voted answer was tremendous: "So far this week, using what appears to be your real name, you have asked the following questions:

1. 'I have a 3,000 word paper due real soon, but I haven't started on it. What are some tips to help me finish it faster?'

2. 'What is the best website to have an essay done for you and all you have to do is pay a certain amount?'

3. 'I have a 3,000 word research paper due in a few days and writing is one of my weaknesses. What tools or suggestions can I use to help me write my paper?'

4. 'What is one good 3,000+ research paper on bipolar disorder that I can see as a reference?'

5. 'How do professors know if you plagiarized or not and what tools do they use?'

"I think it is safe to say that, at this point, any professor who suspects you of plagiarism will be able to confirm it with a quick Google search of your name."

Oh, yes. I remember those good, old college days and the scramble to complete assignments. But years later I still look for shortcuts sometimes, even when I know grinding it out is the best thing. After all, there is no satisfaction quite like seeing something through to the end. You know what I'm talking about. It's when that light comes on in your mind and everything clicks, and you've finally figured something out.

What amazes me is how well Jesus understood this desire just to be done with something that seems to be taking forever. In Luke 12 He confided to His disciples how eager He was to get on with His crucifixion, "I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is My distress until it is accomplished!" (Luke 12:50).

But Jesus didn't cheat or take shortcuts. He waited for His Father's time, being sure to accomplish every other task His Father had prepared for Him to do. Each healing, each message, each footstep along the way to Jerusalem, He waited, patiently, in the Father's good time.

Still, sometimes life seems tedious and boring. Sometimes the work is hard. But Jesus' toil, dedication, concentration and victory is our victory. He did everything necessary to make us right with God. So we can pause, take a deep breath, set our minds with a quick prayer, and dive right back into it again.

Then in the end, we can rest assured that for Jesus' sake we will hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

It would appear shortcuts and maturing as Christ-centered men would have little to do with each other.

Any thoughts on the matter?

You can click here to reply.