This post is part of a 6 part series.  To read the previous posts, click here.

Guideline 4: Does it help or hurt my or others’ spiritual walk?

This is one of the most duh kind of things in the entire list, but often forgotten.  Before we even consider doing something, we have to consider its spiritual implications.  Is what I’m about to do take away from my ability to commune with God on a daily basis (a way that we bring God glory)?

I started this series with one of the “cliché” verses that are repeated over and over in the church today.  Now, we need to think about one of our cliché phrases: What would Jesus do?  Honestly, would Christ be found doing what I am doing right now?  Does it help to lift someone up spiritually?

Not everything in life is obviously spiritual.  We don’t have to spend every waking moment we have doing something inherently spiritual.  But there are some things that can be without seeming terribly obvious.  Spending time growing closer to family and friends is spiritual in that we grow closer in God-ordained relationships.  Sometimes, just getting away is spiritual.  Jesus did it a lot: He went out on a boat to the middle of the lake to get away from the people that constantly crowded Him.

But if it’s not doing anything that matters in the light of eternity, why waste time doing it?  What we do should always drive us to our life calling, and bring us closer to fulfilling it.  Doing something should not draw us or those around us away from God.  If it is, we need to stop.  Like, as in now.  Just do it.  It’ll be transformational.