Spiritual Check Up

Everyone here hopefully goes in every year at least once for a physical check up with their doctor to make sure that everything is working right and that we don’t have an unknown internal condition. From the outside many people can be a perfect picture of health, but on the inside we could have issues or problems that need attention.

These check ups include questions about how we have been and what we have been doing.

The same is true with our spiritual lives. As creatures of habit, we tend to go through life on autopilot. We often miss clues that indicate that our spirit is not enjoying the good health that God created it for.

So, today we are going to do a spiritual check in.

In the same way that the doctor has a list of questions and items to address during a physical, God has given us a process of evaluating spiritual problems in our lives through the fruit of the spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Each of these is a characteristic of the Holy Spirit’s active presence in our daily activities. Let’s look at each one and ask some diagnostic questions to make sure we’re healthy.

Love: Am I motivated to do for others as Christ has done for me, or am I giving in order to receive something in return?

Joy: Am I experiencing a joy of life on a regular basis, or is my happiness dependent on things going smoothly in my day?

Peace: Do I find myself frazzled by the crashing waves of turmoil in my life, or am I allowing myself the time and ability to find peace despite the events of the day?

Patience: Am I easily set off when things go wrong or people irritate me, or am I able to keep a godly perspective in the face of life’s irritations?

Kindness:  Is it my goal to serve others with kindness, or am I too focused on my own needs, desires, or problems to let the goodness of God overflow to others?

Goodness: Am I challenging myself daily to use the goodness in myself to see the goodness in others and encouraging them to do the same?

Faithfulness: Are there areas of hypocrisy and indifference toward others in my life, or is my life characterized by faith in Christ and faithfulness to those around me?

Gentleness: Do I come across to others as brash and headstrong, or am I allowing the grace of God to flow through me to others in the form of gentleness?

Self-Control: Are my humanly desires controlling my life, or am I allowing the Spirit to direct me to the things that please God and serve others?

This week I challenge you to pick and choose one fruit to focus on and improve in your own life. I encourage you to remain vigilante of your spiritual health and do check ins with your fruit to make sure you and those around you are in good spiritual health. Ask yourself how you can improve the presence of each fruit in your daily life and make sure that your “check up”with God passes with high marks and without need for “additional tests”.

Let us Pray:

Father, help us to fill ourselves  with the fruit of the Spirit. Help us to live by the Spirit, and not by the flesh. Help us lead by example, and show others around us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, through your Spirit.

Father, however we are treated by others or whatever events may occur in our busy lives, we pray that Your love may shine forth in us. Whatever happens in life, we ask that Your peace and joy would abide within us. No matter what difficulties we may encounter in life, teach us to be patient and kind in all dealings with others and manifest the goodness and grace in us that only comes from You. However hard times may become, we pray that we can be gentle and self-controlled in our actions and attitudes. May we be good and faithful servants, and Lord, we thank You that no matter what happens, even when we step away from You, You remain faithful to us.

Lord, we know that we cannot develop the fruit of Your Holy Spirit through our own efforts or wills, but only as we rest in Christ. Help us to maintain aware of our spiritual health amongst the business of life here. We pray that we can be worthy of all that you offer each and every day. Amen.