“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.” (Acts 1:8) 

The Christian singer and songwriter Matt Maher’s beautiful song about love is on my running workout mix. It always gets me fired up, especially the beginning: 

It don't have a job, don't pay your bills

Won't buy you a home in Beverly Hills 

Won't fix your life in five easy steps 

Ain't the law of the land or the government 

But it's all you need. 

It conjures in my mind what the apostles might be thinking as Jesus tells them they’re about to receive a great gift. Over a meal, He reveals they will receive a great gift from God: to be baptized with the Holy Spirit.  And they immediately leap to the conclusion that this is the power they’ve waited for! This is the moment! Everything is about to be fixed! This is their “home in Beverly Hills”!  

“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” they excitedly question!  

Jesus is offering them a gift, but the gift is not something for their direct personal benefit.  The gift of the Holy Spirit will empower them to spread out across the world, taking the message of Jesus everywhere they go. Not just to those in Jerusalem. Not just to those in nearby cities. Or just to Jews.  Or to people like them. To everyone. Everywhere.   

But it won’t fix everything overnight. 

Even after receiving the Holy Spirit, the apostles had to endure many difficulties and hardships in their journeys to be witnesses of Jesus. But it was the Spirit who empowered them to carry on the work.  This is the importance of the gift. 

Like the apostles, we’re on a journey with Jesus. The gift of the Holy Spirit isn’t a promise to fix everything in your life. He won’t automatically make all your problems go away.  He may not bless you with wealth or the means to be more comfortable in life. Even when things aren’t going the way we want them to go, we must remember to find strength through the Holy Spirit to serve as an example of Jesus. 

Just what might that look like?

The Holy Spirit empowers us to find the energy to engage in a Bible study, even after an exhausting day of work or school. He empowers us to volunteer at a local charity on a Saturday, even though it’s our only day off. He empowers us to pull people who want to help towards us when we’re feeling down, instead of pushing them away. He empowers us to be a person who says, “I can help,'' instead of, “I hope someone helps.” We can find plenty of reasons and excuses to “Do the Jesus thing tomorrow,” but it’s the gift of the Holy Spirit that empowers us to be a strong example of Jesus every day. 

Pick a spot this week where you can be a witness for Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Listen for those moments where something inside says, “I’m too tired to…,” and find the power of the Holy Spirit to say, “I’m going to make a difference by...”