March 20th – The Gift of the Spirit

It is God who designed us for this very purpose, and he has given us the Spirit as a pledge –
2 Corinthians 5:5 (New Jerusalem Bible)

Jesus tells us: I shower blessing down on you every day. Even when you don’t notice them, they are there. One of my greatest blessings is the gift of the Holy Spirit. He lives within you, teaching and guiding you.
The Holy Spirit is like a great multiplier. In math, five plus five equals ten. But five times five equals twentyfive – a much bigger result. The Holy Spirit works in much the same way. He takes your faith and multiplies it. You may start with a small bit of faith in Me, but the Spirit works to multiply it so that it grows much greater.

Jesus reminds us: Be sure to thank Me for the gift of My Spirit. This helps Him to work more freely in you, making you even more thankful – and more joyful too!

2 Corinthians 5:5; Psalm 50:14; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Psalms 95:2

Footnotes 2 Corinthians 5:5 The Holy Spirit poured out into our hearts is the root and beginning of the realization of divine transformation and reunification with God. The Spirit seals us, God’s people, for the day of redemption.
There may be no place for us in this world, but we will have a place of great honor in the future world. We do not have all these things yet. However, God has given us a guarantee of these things. That guarantee is the Holy Spirit, Who lives in us. The same Spirit, Who raised Christ from death, will rise God’s people to new life.

Passage Psalm 50:14 Let thanksgiving be your sacrifice to God, fulfil the vows you make to the Most High.

Footnotes Psalm 50:14 What is more important? The offering of sacrifices or keeping the Law? Honor God with sacrifices, but clearly give priority to an upright life. It is a new sacrifice sustained by the practice of the commandments.

Passage 2 Corinthians 3:17 Now this Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Footnotes 2 Corinthians 3:17 The person who turns to the Lord goes beyond a first stage of faith where he found God through laws and practice. He enters the adult age of spiritual life, where, through God’s Spirit, he knows himself and acts towards God like sons and daughters and free persons. To find the Lord is to receive the Holy Spirit.
After His resurrection, Jesus became spirit, and communicates the Holy Spirit which gives us freedom. Freedom from spiritual blindness or hardened minds, which is the difference between life and death.

Passage Psalm 95:2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving, acclaim him with music.

Footnotes Psalm 95:2 We should never forgive to give thanks to the Lord, always and everywhere with exultation, joy, enthusiasm and fervency. People are so impressed with the idea that they ought to be serious that they put on the aspect of misery. However, joy is as much a characteristic of true worship as solemnity.

THE WORLD…we see history

Personal account of John O

My name is John O and I am a grateful believer in Jesus, who now deals with codependency among other things. That’s not how it has always been. I spent years dealing with alcoholism, food addictions, workaholism and more. Working through issues that faced me as a survivor of sexual abuse as a child.

I have been part of the elite society of AA, Al-anon, and Adult Children of a Dysfunctional family. I have gone through Rehab/detox, as a dry drunk. I’ve spent over 20 years in individual therapy, men’s group therapy and, couples therapy. I have found my peace, through a relationship with Jesus Christ through Celebrate Recovery.

I grew up in South Braintree Massachusetts and went to South Junior High, in the early sixties. I thought that the way I grew up was fairly normal, but I never shared any of my life with anyone. I hid within myself. I was a loner and felt rejected and “less than” for most of my life. I had a very empty and dark place within me, that I was very aware of.

My early relationship with God, was much distorted. The rules and God, were not the same on Sunday, as they were on the other six days. God and Jesus were Judge-mental, harsh, and distant. I walked away from God in Vietnam, when I was 19, and stayed away for over 20 years, 20, very lonely years.

Looking back on my life today, I endured many things that never made any sense to me. If God was as loving as everyone had told me, how could he let the things happen in my life that did happen? Up until several years ago, none of the experiences, situations or people in my life made any sense.

I said that I was dealing with codependence. That is my core issue, it is the issue that controlled my life. Codependency is an emptiness of the soul, it is really a spiritual disease. I was a very empty person who had nothing to give, there was really no me. I tried to fill up the emptiness inside of me by trying to feel important and needed by other people. I tried to be everything to everyone, and in the process forgot about me.

When I found that people couldn’t fill the hole inside, I turned to alcohol, and lost 7 years of my life to the disease. I then turned to food to fill the void within me, food has been a constant struggle for me. It didn’t fill the void, I tried to relive my life through my children, that only made me feel emptier and drove them away from me. I became absorbed in work, that made me tired, alone, and resentful.