I’m studying Galatians right now and trying to journal a bit on what I’m reading. My eventual goal is to compile all this stuff and post it or something. What I read today especially impacts where I am right now, so I thought I’d put it up. See what you think.

Galatians 4:8-11 Paul again addresses his prime concern: that the faithful in the Galatian church were turning back to their old ways and falling away from his teaching. There must have been strong pressure to go back and give up this new way of life. Paul points out that the things they worshiped before were weak and powerless, and now they have known the power of the true God. How can they now wish to turn back?

I guess it’s easy for me to sympathize with their confusion. It’s easy to long for the old way even though the old way is bad. Giving up old habits to live the life of a Christian certainly isn’t easy. The things I put my trust in before, and the things I looked to for comfort may have been worthless and destructive, but they worked well enough. Drinking and drugs and sex got me through, and brought me what I needed at the moment. When you’re in pain or under pressure or just looking for a way out, it’s hard to remember how destructive the old lifestyle was. It’s a lot easier to remember how good those things felt. It’s hard in the moment to remember the despair that lifestyle brings when all you want is relief right now.

So I can see why the Galatians were so tempted and so ready to turn back. Sometimes it gets to the point where it seems like too much work to change. The old way worked and I can trust it. It’s predictable. God promises change and lasting satisfaction. He promises to make old things new, and complete the good work he has begun in us. He promises to never leave nor forsake us. I guess it just comes down to one question: do we really trust him to keep all those promises?