Briefing: Have you ever worked a roadblock? How much time, manpower, and coordination does it take to conduct a successful roadblock?

Dispatch (Assignment): Read John 7:1-13.

On the Street: The Pharisees and leaders of the Jews must have wanted Jesus pretty bad. John 7:1 says, “After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take His life.” In John 7:11 it says, “Now at the Feast the Jews were watching for Him and asking, “Where is that man?”

When I was in high school, there was a man who escaped from Huntsville prison. He carjack a man and killed him. He was spotted and ran from the Texas Highway Patrol. The escaped convict made his way to the town where I lived before he wrecked the car and fled on foot. The town filled up with law enforcement officers from all over the state. I remember driving on a small road on the outskirts of town and coming upon a roadblock. The State Troopers pulled me and my friends out of our car and searched the trunk. It was very exciting.

Roadblocks happen more on TV than they do in real life. You have to want someone pretty bad to put forth the effort it takes to set up a properly functioning roadblock. The few searches I have been involved in were in efforts to catch extremely bad people.

The Jewish leaders set up roadblocks to keep Jesus away from spreading His good news to the people. The people were where the Jewish leaders got their power. If the people started listening to what Jesus had to say and believed Him, it would seriously disrupt the power and position they enjoyed.

What kind of roadblocks have you set up for Jesus? Do you avoid reading the Bible, going to church, having conversations involving Him with people at work? Why would we set up roadblocks for Jesus? Maybe we are afraid He will ask us to live a life devoid of fun. I have heard people say, “I’m just not ready” or “my religion is a personal matter”. Why would someone say these things? These kinds of answers are indicative of someone who has not matured in their relationship with God.

I know lots of people who are perfectly happy being baby Christians. They can’t feed themselves or change their own diapers. By feeding themselves I mean they don’t read God’s Word or they rely on someone else to preach it to them. They don’t study or meditate on the Bible.

Not being able to change their diapers, anytime they get in trouble they cry out to God and ask Him to fix their problem. When the problem is over they revert back to the same way they were before their problem. They don’t recognize the need for life change.

The book of Hebrews says it this way, “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teachings about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:11-14.

Do you have areas of your life where you have set up roadblocks? Do you have secret areas you do not let anyone enter? Do you have secret sin that you think no one knows about? Is Jesus forbidden from areas of your life? Have you set up roadblocks for Him?

I pray this devotional finds you in the process of growing and maturing. If it were not so, you probably would not be reading this study. Pray for me and for each other as we continue to grow in Christ Jesus.

Investigational Resources: For a deeper study on growing from infancy to maturity in your Christian life, read 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 and 1 Peter 2:1-3.

Officer Safety Principle: Where are you in your spiritual development? Remove your roadblocks and let Jesus in.

from The Gospel of John Through the Eyes of a Cop
©by Charles Gilliland. Used by permission.
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