There it stood. The unlikeliest of signs in – what seemed to me to be – the unlikeliest of places.

New Orleans is not a place that may quickly come to mind if someone was asked for a landmark of Christian theology. But there it stood, towering above a gas station off of the highway near the Superdome: a sign that read “God loves you just the way you are, but He loves you too much to let you stay that way.” It was a sign that reminded me and all of its readers that, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in the midst of, we must all “Move Along.”

To move along physically is a concept we can understand. We may even have heard the old proverb “A rolling stone gathers no moss.” It's a concept that fresh, creative types of people in the world understand.

Recently, many in our city were shocked to learn that our Lexington was listed by a popular magazine as one of the most sedentary in the United States. For some, even “rest” requires moving along. We comprehend the concept of moving in the flesh, but what does it mean to move along spiritually?

Lexington has a large number of church attenders. People here often identify themselves with their church body. I believe it’s great to have a good church family. However, I quickly became curious to know if and how people are moving along in their spiritual journey? Asking the question, “Where are you spiritually?” is oftentimes misinterpreted to solely mean, “To which church do you belong?” instead, I want to know “How do you move along?”

When a person experiences a new relationship with Jesus Christ, they are committing to moving along. In the journey of faith, a person prays to receive the Lordship of Christ. They are baptized. They commit to moving along! Can you imagine the hundreds of people who were baptized at easter baptism just standing around in the pond for the rest of their lives? How silly would that be? Should we be satisfied then with simply attending church (the belonging)? Or are there more exciting elements to our journey (moving along)?

How are we surrendering to God, daily? How are we experiencing the Spirit of Holiness in our lives? What are we reading in our Bibles? How are our prayer lives? How are we hiding God’s Word in our hearts? What are we studying? Into whom are we investing our Christ-walks? Who is pouring into us? Where exactly are we spiritually? With whom are we experiencing true Christian friendships, accountability and fellowship? What are our next spiritual steps? This are many questions that we can continue to ask ourselves to make sure we're moving along.

Do you agree with what that sign? It does seem God really does love us too much to let us stay the way we are.

What’s next in our journey as you move along?

Adaryll Jordan, Family Ministry Leader