by Minister Maureen Jones
I want to share with you a personal journey of mine. This year I decided that one of my goals was simply to get moving and be more physically active rather than the sedentary life that I have become accustomed to. I decided to make this very simple and achievable because by the end of this year, I want to be able to say that I accomplished this goal to be more active. So I decided to use a system called SMART to help me accomplish my goals. SMART goals are goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely.
Specifically, I decided that I would take more daily steps on each work day and also on weekends. (Too many times our goals are too general and do not include how we plan to achieve them). To ensure that this goal was measurable, I decided that it would be helpful to be more specific about the number of steps I would take daily. I thought it would be nice to walk 10,000 steps per day and several articles suggested that 10,000 to 12,000 steps per day was the average number of steps one should take daily if they are to be healthy. I obtained a pedometer to objectively measure my steps and to help me determine what my baseline was and what would be required to achieve 10,000 steps per day.
In addition to gauging my steps or what each step equated to, measuring my steps with a pedometer opened my eyes to see how little steps I took on a busy day. On an average workday, I take about 3,000 steps and workout on a treadmill or elliptical machine for 30 minutes adds another 4,000 plus steps. Walking around the house or up and down the stairs at home added just a few steps. Busy work days are often spent sitting at my desk and consequently significantly less steps. On a particular Friday off I had four appointments in various locations across New Jersey, starting at 7:30 am. By 6pm while at the last appointment, my pedometer registered only 890 steps. The pedometer was working fine, but despite being very busy my car had all the mileage for that day.
The lesson here is that taking steps (or in more general term, taking action) does not guarantee you will accomplish what you set out to accomplish. Only ordered, directed and purposeful steps will get you to your destination and achieve your pre-ordained purpose. Many lead busy lives and still are not able to accomplish what they dream of. But when your steps are ordered, more so when they are ordered in the word of God or directed by the word of God your life will be blessed. In Jeremiah 29:11, God advises us that he knows the plans that he has for us. They are plans to prosper us and not harm us. They are plans to give us hope and a future.
Who better to go to for directions for your life than your creator or manufacturer? When companies make their products, they provide directions or prescription for the proper use of the product. As a pharmacist working in a pharmaceutical company I know this all too well. My department provides Medical information for all of our products. We are accessible to provide medical information to healthcare professionals, patients, researchers, or really anyone who wants information on our products because we are the manufacturer.
God’s word is accessible to anyone who wants directions on how to live fulfilled lives. Psalms 119: 105 says, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. The word of God is the most important thing for a child of God in his walk with God. There are several scriptures that highlight the importance of the Word of God. Colossians 1: 17, And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist (hold together). Without God’s word, which is the mind of God, there is no substance to our lives. Any life that is not founded on the word of God will not have substance to it. Proverbs 4:20-22, My son, give attention to my words….keep them in your heart…because they are life to them who find them and health to all their flesh.
We give attention to God’s Word because it gives us life and health. The moment you begin to give attention to God’s Word and put it into practice you begin to see fruits abounding in your lives. The word of God is a seed, described in 1 Peter 1:23 as the incorruptible seed that he sows into our lives to bring forth fruits after its own kind. The word of God presents us with an opportunity to know and live the kind of life called Zoe life. John 17:3 says this is life eternal that they may know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent. John 10:10 clearly states that the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus has come so that we may have life and life more abundantly. Jesus offers us ZOE life, abundant (overflowing) life. When you get into the word of God and begin ordering your steps according to the Word of God you are walking into abundant life.
I invite everyone to take a look into our spiritual lives and examine the steps that we are taking. Can you say that your steps are being ordered by God’s word? Is your life is ordered by God? You may live an extremely busy life with a variety or secular activities or maybe busy in ministry but are your steps ordered. There are ways to measure our steps such as by the fruits of your labor and the quality (abundance) of your life. When God orders your steps you can say like the Psalmist, He has set me in a large place, which is a place of liberty. Your creator will also set your feet upon a rock and you shall not be moved because he has placed you in a position of stability and contentment. Once your step is ordered in the word your life will have the quality (victory, joy, peace, blessings) or substance God has preordained for you. Let this be your daily prayer to God who knows the plan for life, Lord, “Order My Steps”.