Something In The Way

In Galatians 5:7 Paul questions the church in Galatia; “You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?” It might be a good question for us as well. What is hindering us?

The word here implies a thing that slows you down, something that makes it harder to do the thing you are trying to do, an item that is an obstacle to moving forward.

It doesn’t take much to impede progress. Behavioral scientists tell us that if you can delay any action even just for a few seconds it can greatly change our temptation to get something done. That’s great if you are putting the cookies in a hard place to keep you from stacking, but it can be problematic when it comes to our spiritual race.

Marshal Keble once said, “Most people think falling away from the church is like a blowout, but in reality, it is like a leaky tire.” I think he is right. We expect a big thing to keep us from the Lord and his church but more often than not it is a small accumulation of little things that get in the way. One missed service here and there. A hurried prayer. A Bible left on the nightstand, each night. The little things we do or don’t do keep us moving down the road to heaven.

Why don’t we answer the question for ourselves? What is getting in the way of our spiritual run? What’s keeping us from obeying the truth?

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