“I am astonished
that you are
so quickly
deserting him
who called you.”
(Galatians 1:6)

Elizabeth Clephane captures the truth of this passage - “two wonders I confess, the wonders of redeeming love and my unworthiness.” The first wonder of redeeming love should stop every reader of this passage. We are wicked and full of sin; He is righteous and full of glory. In us dwells no good thing; in Him dwells every good thing. We are the sons of dust, raised on the wrong side of town; He is the Son of the Father, the prized pearl of heaven. Jesus Christ - the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who dwellings in inapproachable glory - this Jesus calls us to Himself. Even now from heaven, every proclamation of the gospel resounds in our ears as a summon to be raised with Him and seated with Him in heavenly places. This is astonishing!

But equally astonishing is the fact that many desert Him, and they do so quickly. In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the son did not take the father’s inheritance and linger. No, he went quickly from bad to worse. Do we need any greater evidence is needed to convince us of the wickedness of our hearts? In a moment’s notice, our hearts quickly divert their eyes from Christ, taking our affections and allegiance with it. The Galatians continued in their good church attendance, but they fit the description given by Isiah: “”Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men.” (29:13) When the gospel call goes unheeded, when men abandon the Prized Pearl of Heaven to play in filth on earth, the case is closed.

We would do well to heed that small word quickly. In Revelation 2:4, Jesus rebukes a church active in their faith, orthodox in their belief, discerning in their worship, but lacking in their love. Though everything looked right, they were quickly deserting Christ in their heart. It would only be a matter of time before heart desertion became life desertion. Have you taken your eyes off Christ? Has His person and His work ceased to be astonishing in your sight? Has secret sin taken His throne in your affections? Time is of the essence, so let us act quickly!