When Things Get in the Way

Every year, in the early fall and spring, our garage door has trouble.  For a while during sunrise in the fall or sunset in the spring, the sun is just at the right spot to cause the sensor on our garage door to not work.  I have to go stand by the garage making a shadow cover the sun, or I have to go into the garage, shut it, and then go out another door.  It's annoying because something that usually works, and does what it's supposed to do, suddenly quits working.  There is something in the way that makes it not work.  And, even though the sun is actually a good and needed thing, it messes up my garage door for a while.  It causes a problem".

In our Christian walk, we may be plugging along day to day....growing, learning....loving, serving.  But then, all of a sudden - something gets in the way.  Something messes up our lives and stops us in our tracks.  We stop doing what we were doing.  We stop growing.  We stop learning.  We may stop loving and we may stop serving.  What went wrong?  What got in the way?

Paul asked the Christians in Galatia this same question in Galatians 5:7.

"You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?"

The Christians in Galatia had been going along good, but then, all of a sudden, people came into their assemblies and began telling them they needed to obey other things rather than the gospel.  They became concerned with going back to the old law - the law that Christ's death, burial and resurrection had done away with.  Paul wrote to them and pleaded with them to go back to the gospel he had preached about Jesus, and to live as a new creation as they had before. (Read all of Galatians to get the whole, complete story.)

In Galatia, many things were getting in the way and causing the Christians there to draw away from God:  People teaching untrue things, the old law trying to be followed (rules, circumcision, sinful desires of the flesh, etc.)  Paul told the people there what they needed to do to get rid of the things that were in their way.

In our own lives, we may have things that get in the way of our Christian walk, too.  Things may get in the way, such as people, family, jobs, entertainment, hobbies, laziness, etc.  Many things can hinder our spiritual walk.  But, just as the sun eventually moves a bit and our garage sensors begin working again, we can make changes to make sure "things" don't stay in the way of our Christian walk.

Just as the sun eventually moves a bit and our garage door begins to work again the way it should, we must strive to make sure the things that get in the way don't stay in the way.  When things get in the way, we must take action.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20