I love this verse!  It was always meaningful to me, but it became VERY alive and exciting after I experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in a fresh way in 1978 at the age of 36.  I won't go into detail here because I realize that each person has his or her own unique experience with the Lord and we probably have varying opinions about the Spirit, depending on our backgrounds.  I definitely don't want to get into doctrines in this blog.   :-) 

Actually tonight I'm thinking more about John the Baptist as a person.  I'm guessing that he didn't have a clue about what the future held with his cousin Jesus going into public ministry.  He was pretty sure that this was the Messiah everyone had been waiting for although when he was in prison and feeling low he needed to have that fact confirmed.  ("Are you the Messiah or shall we look for another?") 

He did know for sure that Jesus was from God and that their world would be changed.  John had the Spirit of God in his life, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to be "the voice crying in the wilderness."  He was definitely empowered for the job and we know for sure that some of those who were water-baptized by him went on to learn more as they started following Jesus around the countryside. 

Unfortunately John didn't live to hear much of Jesus' teaching.  He wasn't around for the crucifixion, the resurrection or the ascension.  Just think, though, what it would have been like if he would have been in Jerusalem at the time of Pentecost when the Spirit came upon the faithful.  I'll bet he would have ended up being even more of a power-packed wild-looking preacher than in his earlier years!  I wonder if the public would have been ready for that?!!

So anyway, is God moving through us here in America?  There are reports of awesome miracles taking place in other countries.  Do you think maybe many of us are too inhibited to be totally tuned in to God?  Are some of us afraid to totally trust Him?

I believe that there are many of us who are empowered and full of the fire of that same Spirit (fired up, if you will!)  just as much as those disciples years ago.  And I also personally believe that our awesome God does still moves in similar ways in 2009.  God does not change even though our perceptions of Him do... 

I'm preaching to myself as well as to any of you:  let's get out there and change our world, one person at a time.  Let's all be open to being baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire!