Who Are You Listening To?

The above question may appear to be strange, considering that there are so many voices today, all shouting loudly. However, most of us are used to the sounds, and have learned to focus in on what we want to hear. Realizing that, I ask the question again, "who are you listening to?" The Apostle Paul asked the Galatians this question"

^7-10 You were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the true course of obedience? This detour doesn’t come from the One who called you into the race in the first place. And please don’t toss this off as insignificant. It only takes a minute amount of yeast, you know, to permeate an entire loaf of bread. Deep down, the Master has given me confidence that you will not defect. But the one who is upsetting you, whoever he is, will bear the divine judgement.

The Galatians were doing well in their walk with the Lord. All of a sudden, they had a change of direction, not for the better, but for the worst. They were no longer listening the voice of the One who called them into the race, rather they decided to listen to someone on the sidelines, telling them that in order to run their race, they had to pack on more things. Any good runner knows that in order to have endurance it is better to travel as light as possible. Paul knew that deep down these Galatians were aware of  that, He assured them that the one who was trying to interfere with their race was going to be dealt with.

Paul was concerned about only one thing – they never forget their marching orders:

^​13-15 It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?​

Those marching orders, complete with warning notice, still apply today.

Maria