"so quickly turning away from Him"?

Galatians 1:6
"I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from Him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel —"

What was it that made Paul astonished and amazed at the Galatian church?

It was that they were "deserting him [Jesus Christ]" who called them to himself by his grace, his marvelously undeserved favor.

And not only were they turning away from Christ, but also they were turning away from him "so quickly"! It would have been within the first three years of Paul's first visit to the Galatians!

Could this happen if they were fixed on their "first love", Jesus Christ?

Could this happen if they watched over their minds with all diligence, and didn't let Satan lead them astray "from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ"?

And they were deserting Jesus "for another gospel", or rather a distorted gospel. For Jesus alone is our salvation. But Jesus plus anything else is a distortion. If my salvation depended on Jesus plus what I would have to contribute to it, I would never be saved, and I certainly would never have any assurance of my salvation.

The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ, as we have it in a nutshell in verse 4, "who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age...".

It is he, God through his Son Jesus Christ alone who saves us, transforms us, provides and protects us, he is all and he does it all, for us , in us and through us. Now that's a good news and 'the' good news! The best and the most important news in the whole universe or in any age and century in the history of the world!

But what about you and I? Why do I, why do you, turn away from and desert Jesus for something else to satisfy us? Why do we look for another gospel - good news, to fill the void in our lives, with something or someone besides him?

Is it because we don't give him the time to get to know him? Sometimes we give a lot of time to get to know and make a best friend. And how much more do we need to give time to get to know our God and maker, our redeemer and savior, our counselor and comforter, Jesus Christ our "all in all", "A friend [who loves us with an everlasting love] that sticks closer than a brother"?

Life is hard! But Jesus is always present and available to all, and especially to those who love and trust him, and are taking time to know him intimately. When I embrace him, that is the reason, and if I am
"deserting him", (to which I feel the inclination to at times) the reason is obvious.