Walk The Walk

“So I say, walk by the Spirit.”-Galatians 5:16-

When you took your first steps as a baby, everyone praised you. But that was not your crowning achievement as a biped, because you went on to run, skip, jump, and dance, among other things. Nobody praises the 9-year old child for walking across the living room into their mother’s open arms. No one cheers as the 42-year old woman navigates her way around the dining room by holding on to the edge of the table. Learning to walk was just a normal part of growing up.
Over the years, sometimes your feet have taken you places you weren’t supposed to go. You directed your own steps according to your objectives, often influenced by the people you were walking with. Sometimes you walked in the dark and it was difficult to see where you were going. Sometimes you ran right into trouble. Other times you strolled in the sunshine and everything was good.
You have been on a parallel path in your spiritual walk. You took your first steps when you were saved, but that was only the beginning of your journey. Sometimes you stumbled in the dark, losing your way. Other times you took a deliberate detour and found yourself alone. But many times, you followed closely in the footsteps of Jesus. You “kept [your] feet from every evil path” (Psalm 119:101); you chose to “run in the path of [His] commands” (Psalm 119:32). And you discovered the beautiful truth that “blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord” (Psalm 119:1).
That’s being a disciple. That’s pursuing Jesus. And the more the two of you walk together, the more you walk the way He does.

Pursuing Today
Can you see maturing fruit in your life? That’s the best way to know if you have progressed from baby steps to mature strides. If you haven’t already, memorize this scripture: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. . . . Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23, 25). List that “fruit” on a notecard and put it in an obvious place where you will see it each day.