3 Special Toolkit: Grace, Love and Presence
August 4, 2013 Leave a comment
“The grace (favor and spiritual blessing) of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the presence and fellowship (the communion and sharing together, and participation) in the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen (so be it).” 2 Corinthians 13:14 AMP
1. Grace of Christ
2. Love of God
3. Presence and fellowship of the Holy Spirit
I was planning to write something about today’s verse before heading out for my Saturday 40-mile weekly cycling training but I slept late Friday and had to stay a few hours extra in bed to get my daily 5-hour sleep. The temperature was already at 70’F at 0900 and when I left the house, the outside temperature was already creeping to around the 80’s. I am we’ll aware that by the time I’ll finish my 40 miles, the temperature will be near 100’F. I normally take with me 2 water bottles, one with Gatorade and one with just plain water. I also take with me one Clif bar and one bag of power gel. In my back jersey pocket are my cycling tools, tire repair kit, an iPhone, a map, a spare tube and 2 canister of CO2 and a dispenser and a $20.00 for a taxi cab if needed although in my route (there is none). In short, I am 100% prepared for any cycling disaster. The ride normally is about 3 hours to finish and at the first 20 miles, the journey is pretty normal and easy and I can be whistling or singing along the route. The real challenge is when I’m at mile25 that no matter how I hydrate and take food and water, my energy starts to deteriorate and it is always a struggle going home.
This is when the my survival strategy starts to kick in. I have something with me that are more useful than the tools that I carry. When difficult times shows up, I dig deeper on those special toolkit.
For some of you that are new to this blog, I am also a cardiac patient. I had my first heart attack in December 2008 (age 42) after my indoor cycling training.
So going out there for 3 hours in a hot weather is not guaranteed that I will be back home safely. My life is already at the end as I imagined that I will disappear one day for good, it is just a matter of time. I’ve accepted the facts of my health. Although I’ve recovered fully after the cardiac event, I know that my body is not perfect anymore and I know how much risk I am taking when I jumped on my bike for a long ride.
Many of my close friends and family members had been asking me why I’m doing what I’m doing even if I know the dangers.
My short answer is always simple – I still can do it, so why not.
The other true answer is a I have a special toolkit with me. I don’t normally tell that verbally. It’s something that I hide like a cheating athlete who is taking extra illegal pill to boost performance. (It is a well guarded secret… until now).
Seriously, it’s not arrogance nor it is a suicidal thought, I am just exercising my faith and my beliefs as a Christian. If I isolate myself within the boundaries of my safe environment, then I will not know if God’s promises are real. I’m not testing or challenging God but I am just claiming the promises in the Bible that He will always be with me. Also, He said that He will give me a long life and also He said that I will have a great life and will have it abundantly.
Back to the basic toolkit, I can bring all the things that I need for my 3-hour journey but those material tools or food or water can only go so far. The water I brought with me will run out eventually, the Clif bar will disappear in a few hours, my cycling tools can be lost. What I’m implying is that those material things that I have in my possession will not propel or help me when I’m really in a big trouble.
What if the journey that I’m taking is a journey of having lost a job. What if the journey is about a failing or a failed relationship or a stage 4 cancer or a rebelling daughter or a son who is addicted to drugs. What if the journey is about a betrayal of a love one. What about a psychological issue like depression, panic attacks, worry, anxiety and hopelessness. What if the journey is about a failed career or a shattered dream or a lost expectation. What kind of toolkit should I have in my backpack?
Sometimes the message from the church is not so clear and straightforward that it produces confusion to those who don’t know anything about Christianity yet. True Christianity is really a simple concept.
In modern Christianity, we multiply and complicate things. We placed rules and guidelines. We create groups and committees just to manage the so called church. We invent all kinds of worship enhancements and spend valuable times in stage preparation and rehearsals. In creating sermons, pastors uses so many materials to aid them to create a sermon that can touch the people. One can listen to sermons online or pickup a book about faith or come to church with a friend but sometimes you end up more confused about God and who He really is and what or who the Holy Spirit is.
I don’t want to confuse you much more than ever. Read and understand what Apostle Paul had mentioned in this verse. Think and meditate on these verses until it becomes clear to you. This is bottom line Christianity.
1. Christ is merciful. He sees our struggle and always willing to reach out to us no matter what. Let Him in.
2. God loves us. It means that He is not mad at us when we make a terrible mistake. It means that He is on our side. He is not against us. He does not carry a whip or a belt that when we cross the line, He is ready to punish us.
3. The presence of the Holy Spirit is real. He is a person who is with us 24/7. This is more than the gut feeling or your intuition or your sixth sense.
Know these 3 things about God and any difficult journey becomes an enjoyable experience.
See it at YouVersion.com: