Deeper Reflection
In football, a player commits the foul of “obstruction” when he/she moves into an opponent’s path to block or slow him/her down, when the ball cannot be played by either player. In the spiritual arena, the progress of the Gospel can be also be obstructed.In 1 Corinthians 9, the Apostle Paul explains to the Corinthian Christians that he has laid down his rights to making a living from the Gospel and to take a Christian wife. These rights sound like good and necessary aspects of life. So why does Paul give them up? Not to prove he’s holier than everyone else or to make life difficult for himself, but for one purpose alone: to ensure that there would be no obstacle to the progress of the Gospel (v.12).If we were to examine our lives closely, might we find that we unknowingly obstruct others from believing the Gospel? It may be that the way we live our lives makes it harder for people to believe the Gospel, rather than easier! Let’s reflect on the way we speak: are our words gracious or do they tear people down (Eph 4:29)? And our workplace ethics: do we work wholeheartedly and with integrity, or selfishly (Eph 6:5-7)?Satan actively obstructs people from receiving the light of the Gospel by blinding them (2 Cor 4:3-4). He is literally hell-bent on preventing as many as possible from seeing Christ’s light. Knowing the enemy’s tactic, will we therefore live as a light unto the world (Matt 5:14) and pray that the enemy will himself be obstructed?