If you ever doubted that we are a physique conscious society, go to the gym like I do at 4:45am. There are people LINED UP outside for it to open at 5am (sadly, there is a commentary about me in this, but let’s leave that alone .
Pedometers are a part of workout culture. They are used by walkers to let them know how many steps they have taken, how long they have been moving. Nicer models can even tell you heart rate, average pace, etc. Pedometers help you to know your progress and how your workout is going.
Equally important in our lives is a way to track or gauge how we are doing spiritually. Let me rephrase – how we are doing letting Christ live in and through us. Does the Bible give us a spiritual pedometer – absolutely it does: fruits of the Spirit. Bible reading, church attendance, giving, and serving are important in the church – but they are not solely indications that Christ is living in you; they are good indicators, but we need to dig deeper. Let’s face it – going to church makes you a Christian about as much as going to McDonalds makes you a hamburger
The fruits of the Spirit are indicators that God gives us to help us see Christ in our lives. Two great places to find the fruits are in Galatians 5 (peace, patience, kindness, long-suffering) and Philippians 2 (humility). We are encouraged to examine our lives and see what kind of “fruit” it is producing. Like a apple tree is supposed to produce apples, Christians (those who have Christ indwelling in them) should be producing the same fruit that Christ produced in His life.
So this week take stock and see how your “progress” is – like a pedometer, ask yourself how many steps you’ve taken, how far have you gotten, are you still on track; use Galatians 5 and Philippians 2 as your own spiritual pedometer!
Pedometers are a part of workout culture. They are used by walkers to let them know how many steps they have taken, how long they have been moving. Nicer models can even tell you heart rate, average pace, etc. Pedometers help you to know your progress and how your workout is going.
Equally important in our lives is a way to track or gauge how we are doing spiritually. Let me rephrase – how we are doing letting Christ live in and through us. Does the Bible give us a spiritual pedometer – absolutely it does: fruits of the Spirit. Bible reading, church attendance, giving, and serving are important in the church – but they are not solely indications that Christ is living in you; they are good indicators, but we need to dig deeper. Let’s face it – going to church makes you a Christian about as much as going to McDonalds makes you a hamburger
The fruits of the Spirit are indicators that God gives us to help us see Christ in our lives. Two great places to find the fruits are in Galatians 5 (peace, patience, kindness, long-suffering) and Philippians 2 (humility). We are encouraged to examine our lives and see what kind of “fruit” it is producing. Like a apple tree is supposed to produce apples, Christians (those who have Christ indwelling in them) should be producing the same fruit that Christ produced in His life.
So this week take stock and see how your “progress” is – like a pedometer, ask yourself how many steps you’ve taken, how far have you gotten, are you still on track; use Galatians 5 and Philippians 2 as your own spiritual pedometer!
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