One Way Gift; Day289

Eph 2:8  For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;
Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Read Full Chapter of Ephesians 2

Grace – gift of God to humankind: in Christianity, the infinite love, mercy, favor, and goodwill shown to humankind by God
Faith – belief in and devotion to God, trust in somebody or something, especially without legal proof

I’ve been approached the other day by someone not close to me yet and he said, “What are you?  What’s in you?  You are different?  You don’t seem to get bothered by the turmoil of the daily pressure? My answer was simple and short, I believe in something that is guiding me everyday, whispering me what to do or what to say or how to react.  Then he keep asking “What do you mean?”  I told him I read and study the Bible everyday and everything I read from the Bible, I have to believe it and better yet, execute or take actions.  Then the conversation turned around when he told me, “I was once a believer” and started pouring me his struggles in life, family and religion at home.  First I learned about his financial problems then later his wife then his 3 year old kid then his mom and dad’s problems.  It turned out he is has been in difficult situation lately and he lost his faith.  Then he asked me, “How long you’ve been a Christian?” I said greater than 10 years, then he said, “me too but somehow along the way with life’s ups and downs, I lost it”

The word “I lost it” means he lost the faith.  Faith is the simple connection to the gift of God.  Without faith, we cannot connect to God.  There is something that is bothering me for sometimes now and if I don’t use my faith to strengthen me and connect me with God, all my works, all my efforts and all my inspiration is gone. I struggle everyday in my faith and in my walk with God because I am constantly in the battlefield.  I see people, I interact with people, I talk to people and I react to people and it seems like every time I open my mouth and say something, there is always this “behind the back question’ Is Rigel for real?’  I don’t really know but all I know that every morning right after waking up, I have to rejoice and thank God for allowing me to wake up again and repeat my daily routines.  Such a joy in my heart to be able to get up another morning and start a brand new day.  Me too, I lost it many times but I usually go back right away and backtrack where I’ve been and correct my course.  I don’t normally wait for a day to regroup and I am talking about an everyday regrouping of my faith and beliefs.  I have to do this or I will die spiritually.

Why one way gift?  We don’t give gifts to God, He gave us the gift.  All we have to do is receive it.  Open our arms and like a baby, just grab the gift that He gave us.  That simple.  Just receive it and there is no requirement that hey, I have to change myself, tame my tongue, or clean my act to receive the gift, in short it is a one way gift and we cannot give back to Him.  But how do we receive the gift? Well, the gift He gave us is invisible, you cannot see it, so therefore you have to receive it by faith.  In simple term, believe it.  Believe that He has given us something.  How exciting is that every day expecting a gift that we don’t see.  I want you to take the same journey that I am on every day.  Look for special gifts every day from heaven, it’s there, you just have to open your eyes and ears.  One rule, you can only receive the gift, there is no need for you to return a favor to Him. In the simplest form, that is the Christian faith.

MIT (Most Important Task)
1. Troubleshoot Virtual Network problems on Poweredge 2850
2.
3.

0000, Sleep
0100, Sleep
0200, Sleep
0300, Sleep
0400, Sleep
0500, Breakfast; journal; 3Mile Time Trial
0600, Leave for work
0700, At work
0800, At work
0900, At work
1000, At work
1100, At work
1200, At work
1300, At work
1400, At work
1500, At work
1600, At work
1700, At work
1800,
1900,
2000, Dinner
2100,
2200,
2300, Sleep
2400, Sleep