“It”

Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  (NIV)

Last night we had our small church group over for dinner.  After dinner we began to discuss “Christmas is not Your Birthday,” a book written by my Pastor Mike Slaughter of Ginghamsburg  Church.  It is a simple read, or as my Pastor Mike would say, “a book that Jay Meyer doesn’t have to have his wife read to him so he can understand what I’m talking about.”

Anyway as is the case with our small group the conversation went down two or three different paths throughout the night and at one point I posed the question of why some “get it” early in life where for others like myself I “got it” later and of course why some never get “it” at all.  The “it” I am referring to is the full utilization of the mighty powers given to us from the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is a free gift we receive when we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior.

My faith walk has been an interesting process.  I was raised in a family that believed in God.  So I believed in God but grew to despise church.  I was one of those who was more concerned with the “hypocrites” in church than my personal relationship with God.

For years I viewed God as this super natural power of convenience.  I called upon God only when I needed him and if he got me out of trouble I believed in him…for awhile.  If he didn’t answer my prayer I either felt as though my sinful ways had placed me way down on God’s list or that maybe this “God thing” wasn’t what it was made out to be.

Then I turned my back on God.  My active addiction years involved behavior I knew God would hate me for and my knowledge of God and his power at that point in my life told me “what’s the use, I’m heading to hell and I may as well feel good during the ride.”

Then I hit “hell” and was still alive and felt absolutely miserable…believe me, there is a hell.

And because of a five week “sabbatical” from my drugs and alcohol in a treatment center I decided the “hell” route really wasn’t the route I wanted to take so I started opening my mind to others who had “been to hell and back.”

During early recovery I found the cure to my problem was a spiritual cure.  It was about having a personal relationship with a “God of my understanding.”  This could be a grandparent, my favorite pine tree in my back yard as a kid growing up, my basketball, what have you.  I just needed to believe in something greater than me.  Ego (easing God out) is the greatest cause of missing out on the transformation powers of God.

I began to hear that God was a loving God, unlike the punishing God I had pictured in my mind.  I could feel this love as I would go to 12 Step meetings where we were all fighting to stay out of our self-induced hell by staying sober a day at a time.  We were all pulling for each other.  We were all pushing each other.  None of us ever wished bad things upon one another.  We tried our best to not judge but simply love.  It was in these rooms where I felt closest to my higher power.  The closer I got to my higher power the more desire I had to knowing “it” even more.

At my ten year point in sobriety (I was about 39) I became mentally unglued.  The compulsion to drink and drug had been taken away from me but I had grown apart from my higher power.  Other than a prayer in the morning I was back on my own and mentally heading to hell in my head with no drugs or alcohol to ease the pain.  I can remember telling my wife during this tumultuous period how there is no worse state to be in than to feel totally helpless over a situation and NOT wanting to drink or drug to numb the pain…remember I’ve always had a couple of wires crossed in the upper part of my body. 🙂

Out of shear desperation I called my sponsor whom I had had very little contact with and he helped get me slowly but surely back on track.  My sponsor was an AA “junkie” but he also read the Bible and believed in Jesus.  He never pushed Jesus down my throat but I wanted what my sponsor had so I started studying about Jesus.

The thing with studying about Jesus is once you start studying the more you want to know…at least it was and is that way for me.

Jesus was this “dude” with long hair who kind of went his own way and spoke in parables like John Lennon.  He was someone I could relate to.  He was the spirit behind the lyrics in “All You Need is Love.”  He would get pissed off at self-righteous and judgmental people including the rabbi’s and pharisees and was attracted to the drunks, prostitutes and other “sinners” that sought his transformational powers with free hearts.  He told us how we should not turn our backs on the “least of these”  and always be willing to help those in need.  He frowned upon judging and promoted humility.

Today I know Jesus was and is–in those 12 Step rooms I referred to above.  I know today, that where there is love there is the presence of Jesus.

Last, but not least, I learned Jesus gave us the power of the Holy Spirit (to be like Him) through His death and resurrection.  (Please note those are Jesus’ words in the scripture verse from the book of Acts above.)

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I normally try to limit my blogs to 600 words or less but as I’ve indicated before.  There is no rhyme or reason or structure behind my blog topics.  I simply write when The Spirit moves me.   For some reason I needed 950 words to get to the point I am trying to make.

Some people get “it” early in life some people like myself get “it” a little later and some people never get “it.”

“It” is the power of the Holy Spirit.  But once you get “it” it is important to understand what “it” is and how to use “it.”

There are some who are just happy to have received “it” and understand they will be in heaven some day and that is all that matters.  They continue to live in misery, subconsciously fighting the Spirit because they are unwilling to let go of the world and the “luxuries” and beliefs of  the world.

Some of us believe this super natural power we receive from God through the Holy Spirit should allow us to do things the world views as super natural. And when our prayers aren’t answered and tragedy strikes in the presence of God we kind of get the “only the good die young” mentality and we give up.

The fact is there is only One who can perform the super natural and that one is God as Jesus demonstrated to us during his 3 decades of life with us on earth.

The proper utilization of “it” involves allowing “it” to permeate throughout our human existence to the extent we can be the hands and feet of Jesus.  He came, He left us a guide to follow and the guide is all about living as He did in order to bring others to Him so he may perform His super natural powers on them.  In most cases taking a self-centered, distraught and conflicting heart and filling it with peace.

Hmm sort of like what my wife and her Christian prayer warriors did for my life years ago.

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So what is this all about?

The small group I was referring to at the outset of this “book” is a great group of people.  We are quite diverse with a common goal.  The goal being to become the hands and feet of Jesus to the best of our abilities.  To become the best disciples we can be. To become the best we can be at utilizing “it.”

We all pretty much understand the key to tapping into the power of the Holy Spirit (“it”) is the ability to die to self and deflate our egos (easing God out) a day at a time so “it” can do “its” work.

Putting knowledge and understanding into practice is where the challenge for most of us lies.

One of our members of our small group is a quiet single lady.  She has had some tough times but never complains about them.  She literally doesn’t have a pot to urinate in.  Although every day is probably a challenge for her to make ends meet, there is a feeling of peace that is always released from her presence.  Her favorite saying is “it’s no big deal.”  She doesn’t have much to say but when she says something she captivates our group.

Last night at the end of our group she grabbed a bag of cards and Christmas “goodies” and started handing them to us.  The goody consisted of a small sock and glove bought from the Dollar General Store sewed together with a a stitch of thread and from the top of the sock and glove came a little piece of wire forming the shape of a hook.

As she handed these goodies out and we began unwrapping them she said to the group; “please hang these on your Christmas trees and let them remind you to make the year 2012 as the year you will try to be Jesus’ hands and feet.”

…to her “it” (her gesture) was no big deal.  But to me “it” reminded me what “it” (the power of the Holy Spirit) is all about.

“It’s” not about us, “it’s” about what Jesus can do through us.  And “it” won’t happen as long as we are full of self or in some cases sh..”it.”

My friend not only gave us a reminder about what “it” is all about but she is living proof of that reminder.

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The card she gave us said the following:  PEACE, LOVE and JOY for you at Christmas and Always.

Understanding, believing, following and allowing “it” to live through you will give you peace, love and joy always.

I write from experience with tears in my eyes.

P.S.  Christmas is not your birthday.  Celebrate “it” that way.

P.E.A.C.E.

jay@eaglelaunch.com