Guided

Like the pilot of an airliner, we have been given a guidance system to bring humanity home to God. Having received the Spirit (and caught the fire) we will be flying, which is different from taxi-ing around an airport. God has provided the Spirit as our guide for the flight.

For the Spirit to guide us we do have to crucify self-endulgent desires [See Rm 8:1-11] and think in spiritual terms [See Jn 6:63] . Giving in to self-endulgence is like pointing the nose of a plane into the ground; we will crash. "Human nature has nothing to look forward to but death. ...You however must not live by your natural inclinations, but by the spirit, since the Spirit of God had made a home in you." [Rm 8: 6,9] Spiritual guidance is about remaining in the air [See Gal 3:3] and landing at the right place. St Paul wrote:

"All who are guided by the Spirit of God are sons of God, for what you have received is not the spirit of slavery to bring you back into fear; you have received the spirit of adoption, enabling us to cry out, 'Abba, Father!' The Spirit himself joins with our spirit to bear witness that we are children of God. And if we are children, the we are heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, provided that we share his suffering, so as to share his glory." [Rm 8:14-15]

So, here is a guidance check list:

• 1. Are we motivated by love of God as Father or fear of God as slave-master.

  2. Can we call out to God in our darkest moments, like Jesus did, as 'Abba, Father.' [Mk 14:36]

  3. Does the Spirit give us a sense of being God's children.

  4. Does the Spirit reveal our inheritance, to be received when Jesus returns in glory.

  5. Do we embrace the cross with Jesus.

If we have got the check list right we are on course and we will bring our passengers in to land at the right place, to be at home with God.