Every day there are choices to be made. What to say; what to do; where to go – how to say; how to do; how to go . . . and so. I am sure you get my drift. However we choose to respond to any of these choices, there are implications – good ones, and not so good. What or whose advice will we follow?
The challenge for us in our choices is who are we going to follow? This may relate to an immediate matter or be part of the bigger picture of life.
I recall this Bible phrase: ‘“I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,”’. It’s part of 1 Corinthians 3:4. The verse goes on to say “Are you not being merely human?” He’s saying this dilemma is part of being human. Instead, the apostle Paul is pointing to something bigger. He goes on to tell them that both he and Apollos are following God! In the Contemporary English Version of the Bible he says: “We work for God”.
The word for today is straight from the Lord when he tells us loud and clear: “We should follow the Spirit”. Why should we follow the Spirit? Because God’s Spirit has given us life! You and I can be sure that when we follow his Spirit, He will be with us and we will know full and perfect freedom.
This Sunday we farewell Vicar Jeremy. He is returning to ALC after 6 months of practical learning experience in preparation for Pastoral Ministry. God willing, in this next 6 months he will complete his academic studies and be ordained for public ministry. Where will he go then? We don’t know, but we can know for sure, that as a man of faith, he will be following the Lord. The Spirit of God will continue to shape and inform all of his choices as he goes.