The Great Disconnect
In studying the over the passage we discussed this previous Sunday evening at a youth group which I regularly help out with, a lot about myself was really revealed to me. It was simply putting into words what I have been avoiding realizing for a long time now. Galatians 2 is really a pretty crazy passage once you figure out the entire context of the situation. Paul is basically telling of how he had to call out the hypocritical lifestyle by which Peter, who was one of the original leaders before Paul. Think about it, the passage starts with Paul talking about how they are still getting used to the fact that he is a Christian and to his ministry to the gentiles, and then a few verses later, he is calling out one of the original few closest to Jesus. While Paul is pointing out the way in which Peter acts like the gentiles until the Jews come around, then he aligns himself with them in trying to unnecessarily change the gentile lifestyle.
I find application of this in a tangent way in my own life. Though it may not seem to flow directly from the text, I have no doubt that God meant to teach me this through this reading... I have been living a hypocritical lifestyle. I am truly excited about things like politics, philosophy, theology, apologetics, history, and even missions. But the Great Disconnect lies in the fact that although I love the idea of making a difference for God, I continue to pay less and less attention to my relationship with Him. I feel akin to St. Augustine in that when he came to respect Christianity on an intellectual level, he knew he could not yet become a Christian because he understood that there was more to it, which is one important factor setting it apart from other world religions. Although I am a Christian, I am missing out on the most significant part of this designation, the person daily involvement of deity in my personal life. This disconnect is were vital change must begin.