Ray is PCC’s Senior Pastor. Occasionally he sends out an email with his “Random Thoughts.” Here’s the latest installment.

Friends,

It’s Thursday, and I can’t process something I heard last week at the National Pastor’s Convention. The question was posed, “How is your spiritual life?” As cliché as it may sound, it is something worth thinking about and answering. You see, pastors don’t get a free pass on this one. No assumptions, please. This is an issue for all of us to consider. So…how is it? My, your, our spiritual lives?

The learned tendency is to measure our response against readily accepted and, indeed, expected behaviors. “Well, let’s see…my devotional life is fairly consistent. I’ve been reading Scripture. Prayed twice this morning. Attended all but one worship service this month. Listen only to ‘Christian’ music. Refused to see an R rated movie. Haven’t cursed, smoked, got drunk or committed adultery. Spiritually speaking, I’m right on track.”

Don’t get me wrong. The above behaviors aren’t bad, but do they actually measure spiritual health? Early on in my journey with Jesus, I thought they did, because that’s what I heard others say and do. However, if you think about it realistically, an agnostic could do all those things.

So, how do we measure spiritual health? Well, I’ve been wrestling with the issue over the past few days. Here’s what I’ve come up with. Ok…not so much me but the Apostle Paul. In Galatians 5:22, writing to Christians who had gotten all caught up in graceless legalism, Paul explains, The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Here’s the message. The ongoing presence and work of God’s Spirit in our lives is revealed by how we express ourselves toward others. If you notice, the fruit of the Spirit is all about relational interaction. The sinful nature is all about selfishness and arrogance, which leads to evil passions and desires playing out in our daily interactions. When our lives begin to reveal the opposite of what the Holy Spirit brings….then our spiritual health and maturity is, or at least should be, in question.

So here are some things I need to ask myself. I invite you to do the same. Is the Spirit of God at work in a real tangible demonstrative way in us?

When there is apathy, where is our LOVE?

When despondent, where is our JOY?

When in conflict, where is PEACE?

When easily annoyed, where is our PATIENCE?

When we’re critical, where is our KINDNESS?

When we don’t care, where is our GOODNESS?

When we’re disloyal, where is our FAITHFULNESS?

When easily angered, where is our GENTLENESS?

When we’re impulsive, where is our SELF-CONTROL?

When we’re always right, where is our HUMILITY?

When we provoke, where is GRACE?

When we’re envious, where is THANKFULNESS?

The answers to the above questions may not be easy to come by. It requires personal reflection and some brutal honesty. I’m wrestling with it all today. The temptation is for us to worry about and draw conclusions about everyone else…maybe we need to start with ourselves first and foremost.

When it comes to genuine spiritual living, how are we doing?

Ray