In Galatians 5:25, the Apostle Paul inserts a little phrase that should loom very large in the lives of those who live by the Spirit. The phrase is, “”let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (NIV) He first reminds the Galatians that they have been made alive by the Spirit, but not through their own accomplishments or good works, nor through anything he himself had done. And now that they had been regenerated, it was their responsibility to make sure they stay in step with the Spirit.

Paul must have been trying to convey that the Spirit was not going to stand still; He was not going to regenerate them and then simply leave them alone to stagnate. The Spirit has places for us to go. As well there is a path for us to walk and He, the Spirit, is going to lead us on those paths, but it’s up to us to follow and take the necessary steps.
There’s a great example of this given in the life of Joseph, the husband of Mary. AS you read through the genealogy recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, you will find his name entered as the “husband of Mary” rather than the “father of Jesus.” The fact that Joseph’s name is attached to this account proves his willingness to “stay in step” with the Spirit. We find Joseph taking Mary as his wife despite the appearance of impropriety. He also willingly provided care and protection for Mary and Jesus, both in Egypt and back in Israel following their return. These actions indicate that while Joseph may not have understood everything, in fact nothing may have been even close to way Joseph would have done it; yet he still stayed in step with what God, the Holy Spirit, was doing. The fact that God was doing this was more than enough for Joseph, who is described as a righteous man in Matthew 1:19.

When I was a freshman and sophomore in high school, I played the trumpet and decided to become part of the school’s marching band. I discovered that I could play the music and I could march in step, but for some reason doing both at the same time was beyond my capability. If I close my eyes and work hard at it, I can still hear the band director yelling my name and telling me to get in step. It was not a positive experience for any of us. Being out of step was a miserable. I think Paul knew that too and wanted to encourage the Galatians and us to make sure we are always in step with the Holy Spirit.

It’s part of being In Pursuit.