Do you love music? I do, and maybe that's why I love the image in Galatians 5. In that chapter, some versions translate what Paul writes in verse 25 as, “Let us keep in step with the Spirit.” In step.
You can be in step when you're walking in rhythm, not rushing ahead or dragging behind. But what about a dance? There's some keeping in step required to avoid tripping over a dance partner.
Of course, when it comes to the Spirit, we're not just keeping musical time. We’re aligning our hearts with the Spirit and with the rest of the church.
Paul wrote Galatians because believers were forgetting their freedom. Some were insisting that faith required extra rules and old boundaries. Paul’s message was clear: in Christ, you are already free. Not free to do whatever you want, but free to live with God’s purpose. And free to love.
So how do we know if we’re keeping in step? Paul gives us a measuring stick: Fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Notice he doesn’t say “feelings” of the Spirit. Not to dismiss feelings, but they come and go. Fruit grows slowly, quietly, over time.
Some days you may not feel holy. But are you more patient than you used to be? Is it just a bit easier to choose forgiveness instead of resentment? That’s fruit. That’s evidence you're dancing with the Spirit.
Fruit doesn’t grow overnight, and it doesn’t grow where it’s never planted. If we sow bitterness, we won’t harvest peace. But if we stay connected to Christ, if we keep in step, the Spirit will do what only the Spirit can do.
You are free. Free not just from something, but for something. So walk and dance like you’re free. Live like you’re loved. And walk like the Spirit is leading, because the Spirit is.
Stay blessed...john | 
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