On the kitchen wall of an elderly church member was a small plaque made out of cast iron which bore these words, "The Hurrier I Go, the Behinder I Get!"

I have seen this little dittie in many households, and I chuckle each time I see it. To some it may sound like a very trite thing, yet the truth that it bears is closer to home than we would like to admit. We have so much going on that we fall behind in other things, sometimes the most important things. And when we find ourselves falling behind in the things that are most important to us, we find that our accomplishments with those "other things" become empty and meaningless to us.

For example, I have known some who were desperate to have careers that would take them far in their profession-only to find their achievement empty when their spouse divorced them or their families broke up. The faster they go, the greater the "set-back."

However, not all "set-backs" are a result of our own selfishness pursuits at breakneck paces. The Apostle Paul expresses his desire to visit the Christians in Rome. But in Romans 15:22 he says, "For this reason I also have been much hindered from coming to you. But now no longer having a place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come to you..."

Paul does not explain the hindrances or why they occurred, but acknowledges the leadership of God in this experience and says, "But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ." v. 20. Our desires will come in God's timing when they are according to His will and when they suit His purposes.

True, Paul could have left off of his earlier missionary journeys so he could travel to Rome. But this could have proven a very serious "set-back" for the early church as many of the churches in Asia minor and Greece had not yet been started or were in their infancy and needed Paul's care.

But by putting God's desires ahead of his own, Paul knew that one day he would receive a greater blessing for having waited on God's timetable. So really, what Paul considered "hindrances" were not "hindrances" after all.

If you feel held back or hindered or experience a "set-back" this week, consider your plans in light of God's leading. When you do, you like Paul will eventually experience the best and not consider them as hindrances. Have a blessed day!

Jeff Russell
Friendship Baptist Church,
Langenselbold, Germany
FriendshipBaptistChurch.html

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