If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
When asked for the secret of his comedic success, Steve Martin said he puts a piece of baloney in his shoes so when he is on stage, he feels funny. I hope he doesn’t but it serves to remind us of how it feels to walk in the Spirit. The Apostle Paul had just listed the fruit of the Spirit, what people must see in us when we live by the Spirit. There had been some Jewish Christians telling the Gentiles they needed to be circumcised to show that they are saved. Paul countered with this evidence of salvation. If the follower of Christ takes one step out of God’s will, the follower feels funny and needs to go back.
The famous list of fruit in this chapter is not the fruit of us trying to be good so people will want to be like us. And it is not something to memorize to impress our Sunday School teacher. It is something to be lived out. The way to know if we are living by the Spirit is to look at the fruit as a checklist. Have I been gentle? Have I lost control? Is there baloney in my shoes. If so, it is time to change into walking shoes in order to keep in step with the Spirit. This will change how you treat one another in humility. Conceit competes with others. Humility has compassion for others. If we want people to see that Jesus is the Son of God and the answer to life’s problems…
Take a walk today!