Dear Church Family
This month, I would like us to consider three barriers that can keep us from going beyond ourselves and beyond the walls of our church. I love this emphasis because, as followers of Jesus, these are exactly the things we are called to do with our lives as born-again believers. And because this kind of living advances the gospel, Satan will do everything he can to keep us from living this way. Let’s begin by remembering our theme verse, found in Galatians 6:10, which states: “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
Barriers to Living Out This Verse
1. Self-centered spiritual complacency — “So then”
When believers become inwardly focused on comfort and convenience, they grow weary of doing good and fail to recognize or seize the Spirit-given opportunities God places before them.
It was important to Paul that the Galatians understood what he had just taught before verse 10. The opening phrase of our theme verse, “So then,” introduces Paul’s conclusion that because believers are accountable to God and called to sow to the Spirit, they must actively do good whenever God provides opportunity—especially toward fellow believers, but also toward those outside the church. A complacent heart forgets this responsibility and settles for spiritual comfort rather than faithful obedience.
2. Busyness and lack of priority — “as we have opportunity”
If we are honest, we all have opportunities to “do good.” The real question is whether we will slow down long enough to invest ourselves in those within the “household of faith” and in “everyone” else which are those outside the walls of our church. For many of us, this may require adjusting our schedules to reflect the biblical priority of investing in others.
The challenge is that we are often so busy that we cannot seem to find margin in our lives. Recent studies show that many Americans view time as an extremely scarce and valuable resource—some valuing their time at hundreds of dollars per hour and even expressing willingness to take a pay cut just to gain more free time. But still others would rather give money to some cause rather than to give up even a hour of their time per week. This highlights how tightly we guard our schedules, sometimes even more than our finances, which can quietly crowd out opportunities to do good.
3. Selective love and misplaced priorities — “to everyone… especially”
Another barrier is the tendency to practice selective love. While Galatians 6:10 calls us to do good to everyone, it also gives special priority to those within the household of faith. When this balance is lost, believers may neglect fellow church members or disengage from those outside the church altogether. Doing good requires intentional, gospel-shaped love that refuses to choose convenience over commitment or preference over people.
We will need the Lord’s help to overcome these barriers and to faithfully step into the opportunities He places before us. As we walk through 2026 together, my prayer is that God would guard our hearts from
self-centered spiritual complacency, help us slow down and honestly evaluate our priorities, and give us willing hearts to make room for the people and opportunities He brings into our lives. May we be a church that lovingly cares for one another within our church family, while also keeping our eyes lifted beyond our walls—faithfully reaching those who are far from God with the hope of the gospel.
I love you and I love being your pastor!
